Naruto Namikaze: The Sage of Six Paths
by Silver Tongue Joe
Summary: Naruto Namikaze, a genius in his own right, and wielder of an ancient and deadly power. This is his tale, his journey...what could go wrong? Rinnegan Naruto, total AU with Canon structure. NaruIno, NejiOC, SasuSaku and many more! Flamers gonna flame, Haters gonna hate, I'm just gonna shake 'em off!


**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the troll that is Kishimoto does.**

 **Naruto Namikaze: The Sage of Six Paths**

 _This is a tale that is quite different from the one you know, one in which two simple changes completely change the flow of time and the events that, in one timeline, had come to pass. This is the story of how one boy...no...young man came to forever change the world of shinobi. Our story begins on th edark night of October 10th, the birthday of twins Naruto and Hikari Namikaze, children of the Fourth Hokage, 'Yellow Flash' Minato Namikaze and his wife, 'Red Hot Habenero' Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze, the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Kitsune, the feared and powerful tailed beast once controlled by the legendary Madara Uchiha. On that fateful night, a mysterious masked stranger attacked the village, forcing the Kyubi out of Kushina's seal, unleashing it upon the villiage of Konohagakure no Sato, having taken advantage of the seal when it was at its weakest: during childbirth. After a short confrontation, Minato bested the masked stranger, and used an ancient Uzumaki Sealing Art to trap the Kyubi, splitting it into two halfs and sealing them within his daughter and dying wife, saving the village in the process. However, due to his belief that a jinchuriki of the Kyubi must be surrounded by love and attention, Minato began to unintentionally neglect his son, despite the boy's constant attempts to win his father's approval. This only became worse when Kushina gave birth to Naruto's younger sisters, and eventually Minato became blissfully unaware of his eldest child's struggles. Our tale begins on a night that would be etched into the memories of all those who were there; the night when Minato would announce his successor to the Namikaze Clan..._

 **Chapter One: Awaken, Ancient Power!**

 _Namikaze Home_

"You...what?" Naruto asked, his face pale.

Minato, who was too focused on smiling at the boy's twin, didn't notice the flash of purple in his son's eyes, "I said, I've decided that Hikari will succeed me as the heir to the Namikaze Clan."

Kushina froze in her seat, sparing a glance at her shell shocked son before giving her husband a cautious look, "Are...are you sure Minato? This is a sudden decision..."

Hikari shifted nervously, looking worriedly at her brother who hadn't moved at all, and said, "Yeah papa, I'm not sure this is the best..."

Minato grinned, "Of course I'm sure! You're going to be incredibly powerful one day, I can't think of a better choice!"

Kushina suddenly noticed Naruto's whole body shaking, but as she went to place a comforting hand on his shoulder (not at all agreeing with her husband's decision), Naruto's head shot up, and Kushina gasped as she saw his eyes change from their beautiful cerulean to light purple, several dark curved lines surrounding his pupils. The only warning Minato had was Naruto's enraged roar before he was sent flying out of the house, the entire wall being sent with him. Kushina rushed over to his side, saying in a panicked voice, "Minato! Are you okay?!"

The Hokage nodded, quickly coming to his senses, and replied, "I think so...what the hell was that?"

Before she could respond, however, Minato saw his son standing where the wall had been, his whole body shaking in rage, hair wild, eyes blazing with..."The Rinnegan?!"

Kushina's body stiffened, "But...how?!"

Minato shakily stood up, "I have no idea, but we need to calm him down."

Kushina nodded, clutching her chest and calling out to her only son, "Naruto, sweetie, please try and calm down!"

Naruto, however, wasn't listening; instead, his focus was solely on his father.

"GRAAAAAAARGH!" the young Namikaze roared, his eyes once again blazing as he thrust a hand outward, making Minato's body jerked forwards, as an arm sprouted from the boy's back, contorting into a flesh-like cannon that then launched a missile right at the Yellow Flash, who barely had enough strength to form a Rasengan, the resulting explosion from the collision sending him flying back.

"S-such power..." Minato groaned, struggling to sit up.

Kushina fought through her tears, shifting through hand seals and yelling, "Adamantine Sealing Chains!"

Chakra chains sprouted from her back, wrapping around Naruto as six ANBU quickly moved to subdue the raging boy. To their utter horror, however, he merely screamed again and an invisible force repelled away both the ANBU and the chains, sending everyone flying. Kushina looked at her son with fresh tears pouring down her face, "Naruto...sweetie...please!"

Naruto clearly wasn't listening, however, as his eyes had never left his father. Once again Minato felt the tug on his body, and he was flung towards the boy, who's stomach had produced yet another mysterious arm, this one taking the form of a blade.

"MINATO!" yelled Kushina in fear.

 _"Dammit! Can't move...but if try and use the Rasengan from this distance I'll kill him!"_ Minato panicked internally, growing dangerously close to the outstretched blade. Suddenly, however, Hikari tackled her twin in a tight hug, screaming out, "Naru, please stop!"

All at once it was over. The anger left Naruto, and Minato fell straight to the ground. He looked up to see the mysterious limbs on his son retracting back into the boy's body, his eyes drooping as he collapsed in his sister's arms. Kushina rushed to collect her only son from Hikari's grasp, cradling him in her arms, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. A beaten and baffled Minato swiftly checked that the ANBU were unharmed before flashing to his wife's side, looking at his son in awe, "That was..."

Kushina glared at him, "Not. One. Word."

A very distressed Hikari ran to her brother's side, tears falling down her face as she gazed at his pale and sweating form, "Mama, he looks really sick!"

Kushina gripped her son even tighter, "We need to get him to Tsunade."

Minato nodded, leaning down and saying, "I'll take him, I can get there faster than anyone."

 _Konoha Hospital, Five Hours Later_

Minato and Kushina sat patiently outside the emergency room, Hikari curled up asleep beside them in a chair. Minato sighed, before glancing at his wife, "Those eyes...they're dangerous. I think we should seal them...!"

He was cut short by the hard slap Kushina drove across his face, "Our son is in critical condition, and all you can think about are his damn eyes?!"

Minato touched his cheek, "Kushina..."

Kushina glared at him, "Don't you dare! You stupid man, this is all your fault anyway!"

Minato was taken aback, "What?"

Kushina's harsh gaze never faltered, "Naruto has idolized you for years! And you've never even given him the time of day! If you aren't doting on Hikari, then you're immersing yourself in play time with Keiko, Natsumi or Momo! He's been working himself to the bone every day getting stronger, in the hope that you'd finally notice him!"

Minato was stunned, "I..."

"Did you know that Naruto's test scores and overall performace were so good he could have graduated much earlier? The only reason he even stayed in the academy was because he didn't want to leave his sister or Sasuke all alone! He mastered tree walking and water walking when he was only eight! He wanted to show you, but you were too busy with your damned Hokage duties to even spare him a moment! He was so crushed when he came home, he didn't come out of his room that entire weekend! He's been saying for years how it was his dream to one day succeed you as Hokage and become a worthy leader to the Namikaze name! It's his birthright Minato, and you took that away from him!"

Minato's face dropped, "I didn't realize..."

Kushina pulled her hair in frustration, "Of course not! You thought it more prudent to focus on your jinchuriki daughter and the younger ones than the son that just wanted your approval! And now that Naruto's awakened a power so rare it's said to only appear once ever few generations, your first reaction is to take that from him!"

Minato sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "...you're right. I'm just worried, Kushina. Those eyes...the destructive power they hold...it could be lethal to the village if he loses control..."

Another hard slap hit his face, and as he looked back in confusion, he paled at the sight of his seething wife, "For once...JUST BE A FATHER NOT THE HOKAGE YOU BASTARD!"

Hikari jerked awake, and looked at her mother in fear, "M-Mama?"

Kushina's expression softened, and she pulled her daughter into her lap, "It's okay baby, I'm sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep now."

Hikari yawned, and placed her head on her mother's shoulder. Minato looked down in shame, his wife's words ringing in his head. _"She's right...I'm not even really thinking like a real Hokage anyway, let alone a father. The power of the Kyubi in my daughter and my wife is equally dangerous...I should be nurturing Naruto's new abilities, not locking them away. Besides, I'm not even sure_ how _to_ _lock something that potent away."_

A short time later, Tsunade wearily made her way over to the group, and sighed, "He's asleep for now. The damage wasn't too extensive, just some torn muscles and strained ligaments...he was mainly just exhausted. However...the psychological toll is what I'm worried about. What happened?"

Minato gulped, "Well...it all started when I said I was naming Hikari as my successor..."

Once again, he never finished his sentence as Tsunade's fist connected with the top of his skull, "You did what?! Naruto's been working towards that goal since he was old enough to talk!"

Minato clutched his skull, "I'm sorry! Anyway, he lost it on me. That's when those eyes appeared...their power is frightening."

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose, "You damn fool. Jiraiya told me that the Rinnegan only manifests itself under extreme stress and psychological trauma...you basically forced the eyes to come into fruition."

Minato gaped at her, "I...I did?"

Tsunade glared at him, "Go home, Minato. The last thing Naruto needs is to see your face when he wakes up."

 _Several Days Later, Konoha Hospital_

Minato steeled himself as he stood outside the door to his son's room. It had already been days since the incident, and he had been going over everything with a fine tooth comb to make sure news of Naruto's new powers did not get out. Currently the only ones who were aware were himself, Kushina, Hikari, Tsunade, Shizune and the six ANBU who had rushed to his aide that night, and that's how it would stay. The last thing Minato needed was that bastard Danzo trying to get his hands on Naruto.

Kushina had informed him that morning that his son was ready to see him, and Minato wasted no time in flashing over to the hospital. Now that he was outside the door, however, he had no idea what to say. He was brought out of his thoughts when a tired voice from the other side of the door called out, "You might as well come in, dad. I know you're out there."

Minato opened the door and smiled sheepishly, "How'd you guess?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Your hair's kind of a dead giveaway."

Minato sweat dropped, "Oh. Forgot those doors had tinted windows."

Naruto folded his arms, looking out the window distantly, and asked quietly, "...why did you make Hikari your successor?"

Minato sighed, and sat down in the chair beside his son's bed, "...because I've been a pretty bad excuse for a dad, that's why."

Naruto shook his head, "If this is about you never spending time with me...I get it. You're Hokage, you're busy."

Minato looked away guiltily, "I made time for the girls. I'm not going to make excuses Naruto. I've been a pretty poor father, and I ignored my only son. I did something that caused you so much pain...I'm so sorry."

Naruto bit his lip, "It's fine dad, I understand."

Minato looked at his son, and pulled him into a firm hug, stunning the boy as the young Hokage said, "It's not fine. I love you son, I do. Your mother told me how hard you've been working, how smart you really are. I'm so sorry I never noticed before. Did you know Hikari told me that she refused to be my heir? Told me to stick it where the sun don't shine...I guess she's more of a momma's girl than I thought."

Naruto couldn't help but smile as he hugged his father tightly, before pulling back with a quizzical look and saying, "But wait, who's going to succeed you then?"

Minato smiled softly, "The only child it should ever be; the one who's going to take my Hokage hat from me one day."

Naruto teared up slightly, "You...you mean?"

Minato grinned, "Don't look so surprised! Once your mother and Tsunade beat some sense into me, I realized my own bumbling ineptitude, and realized I'd been overlooking a genuine prodigy in my own family. I know it isn't much, but...I'm going to help you train from now on, if you'll let me. Especially since you've been granted such an incredible gift with your eyes."

Naruto barely managed to hold back tears at his father's words, but his face scrunched up a little at the mention of his eyes, "Mom said they're called the Rinnegan...what's so special about them?"

Minato leaned back in his chair, "The birth of shinobi came about with the rise of a man who became a legend; the Sage of Six Paths. The story goes that the Sage defeated a mighty enemy many many years ago, after which he created ninjutsu, and became known as the Father of Shinobi. The Rinnegan eyes were said to be his ultimate weapon."

Naruto stared at his father in awe, "Really?"

Minato nodded, "It is by far the most powerful of the three great ocular jutsu; the Rinnegan, the Sharingan and the Byakugan. It's said that the Rinnegan only manifests itself once every few generations. To think my own son would gain its power...you're going to become a powerful shinobi."

Naruto grinned, "If it means I can protect my village, then I'll master it, no sweat! I never go back on my word, that's my ninja way!"

 _Three Years Later, Konoha Ninja Academy_

Iruka sighed as he walked into his classroom, gazing fondly at the desks that would soon be filled the already graduated students one last time before their lives as shinobi began. He was surprised to see his favorite pupil already in his regular seat, "Naruto?"

The blonde looked up from the book he'd been reading and smiled at his favorite teacher, "Hey Iruka-sensei. Sorry I'm here so early, I just wanted to get some quick reading done before the chaos starts. Hikari and mom were already at it in the house and dad's in a meeting so I figured I'd come here."

Iruka smiled warmly at the boy, walking over to where he was sitting, "That's fine with me, it's good to see you here actually. Helps me deal with the feeling of nostalgia. What are you reading?"

Naruto held up the book, "Jiraiya-sensei's first book. Tales of an Utterly Gutsy Shinobi. I'm named after the main character."

Iruka grinned, "Fitting."

Naruto laughed, "If you say so. I'm just excited the day's finally here."

Iruka nodded, "Indeed! I get the feeling no matter who you're paired with, you're destined for great things. Especially with those eyes of yours."

Naruto smirked, "Even without them, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka laughed, "Indeed! You've certainly done an excellent job of becoming a strong shinobi even without your visual prowess."

Naruto nodded, "I'm the son of the Yellow Flash! I have to rely on more than just my eyes!"

Iruka grinned, patting the boy's shoulder before turning around and walking back to the podium to get ready to announce the Genin teams.

 _Konoha Academy, One Hour Later_

"NARU!" Hikari squealed, leaping onto her brother's back, making him squawk in surprise.

"Come on Hikari, calm down!" Naruto pleaded as she began to squash him.

Ino and Sakura giggled as Naruto struggled to throw his sister off, which he eventually managed to do, much to Hikari's disappointment, "Aww...don't you love me anymore big bro?"

Naruto sighed irritably, "I knew you were going to be like this."

Hikari giggled, "I can't help it! We're finally shinobi today!"

Naruto sighed but couldn't help but smile at her, "Yeah we are. At least you look the part now."

Hikari gave him a big smile and a small twirl to show off her battle outfit. She had her long red hair pulled into a high ponytail, her Konoha headband tied around her neck. She wore a crimson shirt with the Uzumaki swirl on the back over a fishnet shirt, white gloves on her arms that ended just short of her elbows. She also wore a white battle skirt that ended at her mid-thigh with battle shorts underneath and leg wraps that began at her knees and covered her shins, and finished the look with a pair of white and red shinobi sandals. She had her kunai holster wrapped to her right leg and a pouch on her lower back, on the left side.

Hikari looked Naruto over and grinned, "You look super deadly too, big bro!"

Naruto wore his headband over his forehead, keeping his blonde hair out of his eyes. His hair had grown a little longer, and now reached the base of his neck. He wore a black shirt that also has the Uzumaki swirl on the back, with dark blue shorts and black fingerless gloves that bore the Senju Clan symbol on the metal plates (A gift from his godmother, Tsunade). He had on black shinobi sandals and from his ankles to his upper shins he had had bound black shinobi bandages around his legs. His black kunai holster was strapped to his right leg, once again held there by black bandage wraps. He also had a dark blue pouch with the kanji for 'flash' across it attached to his waist, behind his back.

His Rinnegan eyes gleamed with pride, "Thanks sis, dad helped me sort it out."

Shikamaru groaned beside him, "Of course you two would come looking awesome. Troublesome..."

Choji nodded, "Seriously. It makes me kind of jealous."

Ino grinned, "Well I think you look great Naruto."

Naruto blushed, "Uh...thanks Ino. You look really good too."

This time it was Ino's turn to blush, prompting Hikari to look between them with a sly smile, but was soon shaken from her borderline-lecherous thoughts by Iruka, who yelled, "Alright! Everyone to your seats!"

Sasuke trudged up towards Naruto and plopped down, the pair exchanging a fist bump and a smirk. "Think they'll pair us on the same team?" Sasuke asked hopefully.

Naruto shook his head, "I don't think so buddy. The Rinnegan and the Sharingan on the same team? The council would have a heart attack."

Sasuke sighed dejectedly, "Dammit. I swear if they put me on a team with your sister..."

Naruto suppressed a chuckle, "Well they usually pair the dead last and the Rookie of the Year together...but I think Hikari will be paired with said rookie instead, if only to promote her personal growth...and also since Hikari and I are siblings, I doubt I'll be stuck with her. So considering we're sharing the Rookie of the Year spot..."

Sasuke planted his face loudly on the desk and groaned, "...why me?"

Iruka cleared his throat, "Alright everyone, listen up! First team is..."

The scarred chunin went down the list, mainly throwing the middle-tier scoring students and the civilains together in a subtle effort to keep the Clan Heirs and shinobi children together, before he finally reached the team that had been of particular intrigue to the Konoha Council, "Team 7! Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and...Hikari Namikaze!"

Sasuke's loud groan made Naruto laugh loudly, patting his best friend on the back.

Ino sighed as she looked over at Naruto, hoping to be on his team.

Hikari just hung her head, having a very bad feeling about the whole thing.

Sakura, meanwhile grinned at Sasuke, who merely planted his forehead back on the desk.

Iruka shook his head "Alright that's enough! Team 8! Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuga!"

Having already expected this, the three moved to sit beside one another, knowing that due to their clan abilities they were likely to be assigned to a tracking squad.

Iruka moved down the list "Team 10! Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka!"

Ino deflated a little more, having really hoped to be assigned to Naruto's team, but resigned herself to the Ino-Shika-Cho tradition. Shikamaru and Choji exchanged a grin, high fiving at their good fortune.

Iruka listed off a few more names before both he and Naruto frowned. Raising a hand, Naruto quickly asked "Uh...what about me, sensei?"

Iruka blinked "Um...apparently you haven't been assigned to a team, Naruto."

Hikari whirled her around to look at her brother in alarm. Naruto himself had a thousand questions flying around in his head, but was cut short when the door to the classroom opened, and in walked none other than the Third Hokage himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi. The old man smiled kindly at the students, who quickly bowed their heads, and said, "Ah, Naruto...if you'll come with me for a moment."

Naruto steadily got up from his seat, shooting a worried glance at Sasuke, before into the hallway with the old man. Hiruzen, spotting the boy's nervous demeanor, placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Relax Naruto, it's alright."

Naruto frowned, "Then how come I'm not on a team?"

Hiruzen sighed, "Actually...the problem is that was have one graduate too many this year. You're far beyond the level of your average Genin, and as such it became difficult to balance the teams out. However, your father made it _explicitly_ clear that you be given a team, so we reached a compromise. As of right now, there are three Genin teams that would benefit from an extra member. Team 7, Team 8 and Team 10. It's up to you which one you want to join."

Naruto frowned "How will this affect the Chunin Exams for me?"

Hiruzen chuckled, "Very perceptive. Simply put, you will be given your own set of instructions for team exercises...or at least, that's what will happen should you take the exams in Konoha. In other nations, you would be permitted to join another team for any team exercises. Other than that, the rules are basic."

Naruto tapped his chin, "I think I know why dad wanted me on a team so badly."

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah...as far as we can tell, when Hikari loses control of the Kyubi only dad or I can calm her down. I'll be joining Team 7, if only to keep my eye on her."

Hiruzen smiled, "You really are one of a kind. Very well then, I hereby declare you the fourth member of Team 7."

Naruto grinned as he walked back into the classroom, catching his sister's eye and giving her a reassuring smile as he made his way back to Sasuke. Sasuke raised a brow, and Naruto leaned over to whisper in the Uchiha's ear. Instantly, Sasuke's face lit up, and he cheered loudly, eliciting confused looks from the other Genin.

 _Three Hours Later_

"We so got Kakashi as our sensei," Naruto muttered.

Hikari pouted, "You'd think he'd be on time for at least this!"

Sasuke shrugged, "Who knows."

Sakura glanced at the twins, "So you guys know him already?"

Naruto nodded, "He's our dad's old student."

Sakura's eyes widened, "Really?"

Hikari sighed, "Yeah. But he's so lazy it's insane. I can't believe he's our sensei."

Sasuke shrugged again, "By the way Naruto, how come you're on our team? Not that I'm complaining, but..."

Naruto sighed, "Apparently I was one Genin too many, and they couldn't find me another team to join. So...they let me join yours."

Hikari frowned, _"More like they wanted to make sure I don't lose control of the Kyubi...big brother deserves his own team."_

They were brought out of their conversation as the door opened and in walked a sheepish Kakashi, "Team 7? Meet me on the roof in two minutes." With that, he poofed out of existence, making Naruto roll his eyes, "Showoff."

 _Roof of the Academy_

Kakashi glanced at his new charges with interest before his eyes settled on Naruto, _"So he did pick his sister's team...I guess the rumors about him being her protective guardian were true...this should be fun."_ Bringing his attention back to the others, he cleared his throat, "Alright...let's introduce ourselves."

Sakura raised a tentative hand in the air, "Um...could give us an example sensei?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Alright then. My name's Kakashi Hatake; I have no intention of telling you my likes or dislikes, and I have many dreams."

Everyone sweat-dropped, _"HE DIDN'T TELL US ANYTHING!"_

Kakashi eye smiled, "Your turn, red."

A tic mark appeared on Hikari's forehead at the nickname, and Naruto sweat dropped, _"Kakashi clearly wants to die..."_

Hikari cleared her throat, "My name is Hikari Namikaze; I like dango and spending time with my family, and I dislike when people treat other people without respect; my dream is to one day become a strong kunoichi like my mother!"

Kakashi smiled internally _"Looks like she'll do just that, Kyubi or not."_ The Jonin then turned to face Sakura, "How about you pinkie?"

Sakura's face lit up, "My name is Sakura Haruno; I like studying and spending time with my friends, I dislike people who act like idiots; my dream is to one day become as strong as a certain someone." She finished by glancing at Sasuke, a heavy blush adorning her cheeks.

Kakashi sweat dropped, _"Well at least she's not the worst fangirl Sasuke's ever had."_ His gaze shifted to said Uchiha, who looked extremely bored, "You're next, broody."

Sasuke's eye twitched at the nickname, but responded anyway, "Sasuke Uchiha; I like training and working on new jutsu, I dislike people who rely on others too much; my dream is to bring justice to a particular man for what he did to my clan."

Kakashi looked the boy over carefully _"It looks like all the time he's spent around Naruto really has changed him...that's good."_ Satisfied with Sasuke's answer, Kakashi glanced at his last student, "Naruto?"

All three of the others dead panned, _"How come Naruto doesn't get a nickname?!"_

Naruto suppressed a laugh at their expressions, and responded cheerily, "My name is Naruto Namikaze; my likes are ramen, training and spending time with my dad, I strongly dislike anyone who threatens my comrades, my village and my family; my dream is one day surpass my father as Hokage and bring peace to the shinobi world, believe it!"

Kakashi blinked in surprise, before his eye crinkled into what they assumed was a smile, _"Minato-sensei...you were right, Naruto is ambitious."_ Nodding his head, Kakashi looked around at them, "Alright then. Well, I think it's time I revealed the truth to you. None of you are Genin...yet."

"What?!" Hikari and Sakura cried indignantly. Sasuke frowned while Naruto simply raised a brow, _"...what's his game?"_

Kakashi shrugged, "The academy tests your knowledge of the shinobi arts...but not your actual skill in the field. That's why each Jonin sensei is required to test his or her Genin team...however the test only has a 33% pass rate. And if you fail, it's right back to the academy!"

"WHAT?!" yelled Sasuke, Sakura and Hikari. Naruto narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Kakashi shrugged, "Afraid so. However, since there are four of you, I'll be testing one of you separately."

Naruto sighed, _"Damn it..."_

Kakashi gave them a mock salute, "Alright then, be at training ground 7 tomorrow morning at 7 o'clock sharp! And don't eat any breakfast...you'll puke." With that, he disappeared with a poof.

 _Later That Night, Namikaze Household_

"I can't believe it! We finally graduate, and now we might be getting sent back?!" Hikari cried as the family, sans Naruto and Minato, sat at the dinner table.

Kushina sighed, "Come on now Hikari, you're a very capable kunoichi. You'll pass that test with flying colors. You remember the golden rule, right?"

Hikari nodded dejectedly, "Those break the rules are scum...but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum."

Kushina smiled brightly at her, "If you always keep that lesson in your heart, then no matter what you do, you'll be fine!"

Keiko piped up from beside Hikari, "Mama, where's Naruto and papa?"

Kushina smiled, "They're out for tonight...your father wanted to talk to Naruto about some important things."

Momo huffed, "How come Naruto gets to go hang out with dad but we're stuck here?"

Hikari glared at her little sister, "Because he's the family heir...and he's the only boy. Besides, he works really hard, dad just likes to make sure he's doing okay."

Kushina smiled warmly at her eldest daughter, "That's right Hikari. Besides, you know your father loves all of you equally...it's just he and Naruto share a special bond as father and son."

Natsumi nodded, "Exactly. Naru's got those eyes, remember? Papa wants to make sure that he's learning how to use them properly."

Momo frowned, "Mama, how come none of us look like dad except Naruto?"

Kushina giggled, "We're still not sure honey. but look at like this; you all have beautiful red hair, just like mama! My eyes too...it's like an army of mini-me's!"

Hikari sighed, "Naru used to look just like dad...he even had those same blue eyes."

Kushina sighed, "Well there's no way around that, baby girl. Those eyes are permanent. Still...the longer his hair gets the more he reminds me of your father in his youth."

Keiko giggled, "He says he wants to grow it as long as Uncle Jiraiya's!"

Kushina sweat dropped, _"So long as that's the_ only _way he emulates that pervert...I guess I can live with it..."_

 _Ichiraku Ramen, At The Same Time_

"So tell me, what made you pick Kakashi's team, Naruto?" Minato asked as he and his son devoured their ramen.

Naruto grinned, "Well for one, I'm the only one who can calm Hikari in a pinch with my eyes, so I figured it was a good excuse to make sure she stays safe."

Minato smiled, "Of course. You've always been her guardian angel."

Naruto nodded, "Naturally! We may be twins, but she's still my little sister! I'll protect my family no matter what, remember?"

Minato laughed, "How could I forget? But is that all, just your sister?"

Naruto shook his head, "No...I also want to be there for Sasuke. He's the closest thing I have to a brother, and I'll be damned if I let him fall back into the dark world of revenge. I made a promise to help him bring Itachi to justice, no matter how long it takes, and I intend to keep that promise!"

The Hokage blinked, before a fond smile tugged at his lips, "I'm glad. Sasuke will need that bond in the coming years, I'm sure."

Naruto nodded, downing the rest of his bowl, "So anyway, what do you think Kakashi will do for my test?"

Minato raised a brow in amusement, "What makes you think that you're the one he's going to test separately?"

Naruto deadpanned, "Come on dad. Be serious."

The older blond merely chuckled, "I'm not sure son. But if I were you? Be ready to be pushed to your limit. Kakashi's made it his mission to help you learn more about the Rinnegan."

Naruto sighed, "I figured."

Minato glanced around before quietly asking his son, "How have you been doing with it, by the way?"

Naruto frowned, "I'm still only able to use the Asura and Deva paths...but oddly enough I found out that I might be able to use some of the same abilities as the Sharingan. It's weird...Sasuke and I were comparing notes and it seems like my Rinnegan can use many of the same powers the Sharingan does."

Minato frowned, "Odd. I'll see what I dig up in the archives. For now though, I'd suggest you keep training to use it to the best of your abilities, but remember; don't rely on it. It puts a pretty heavy strain on your body when overused, and while you have large chakra reserves, almost as big as Kakashi's, it's not bottomless."

Naruto grinned, "I know, dad. Don't worry, I've been training really hard to master the Hiraishin so I'm not a one trick pony!"

Minato chuckled, "That's my boy. To think...a jutsu it took me years to perfect and master, and my son's almost figured out how to master it himself at only 12 years old. Incredible."

Naruto shrugged, "I dunno. Like you said I don't have the ridiculously large chakra reserves needed to really perform those techniques well like you do."

Minato shook his head, "It'll come in time, Naruto. Now let's head on home before your mother gets too mad."

Naruto shivered, "Good plan!"

 _The Next Morning, Training Ground 7_

Naruto's eye twitched as he listened to his sister complain about not being allowed to eat breakfast...again. He gave her a withering look, "Hikari, I'm sure Kakashi-sensei had a reason for not letting us eat breakfast. Apart from the puking that is."

Hikari huffed, crossing her arms, "Still. Besides, he's like TWO HOURS LATE!"

Sasuke twitched in annoyance, "Just relax, will you? He's clearly trying to psyche us out."

Sakura sighed "Regardless, you'd think he would be here by now..."

"You think who'd be here by now?" Kakshi asked from the top of the fence surrounding the area.

Naruto and Sasuke sweat dropped, "Seriously?"

Kakshi laughed, hopping down and saying nonchalantly, "Sorry about that, got lost on the path of life!"

Naruto shook his head, but was immediately put on guard when a kunai flew at his face. With incredible speed, Naruto pulled out one of his own special kunai, deflecting the one Kakashi had thrown. He grinned at the masked Jonin, "So I guess I'm being tested first?"

Kakashi nodded, _"That was incredibly fast...seems he's trying to steal his dad's moniker after all."_ Stepping back a little further into the field, Kakashi lazily said, "All you have to do is land one hit on me. Oh, and no using those eyes of yours."

Naruto nodded, and Hikari yelled, "Come on big bro! Kick his smug ass!"

Sasuke smirked, leaning back against the nearby post, while Sakura watched intently.

Kakashi got into a defensive stance and said, "Ready when you are."

Naruto nodded, reaching into his kunai pouch and pulling out three more special kunai, which caused Kakashi's brow to raise _"Hmm...the Hiraishin, eh? This could get tricky if I'm not careful..."_

Not wasting any time, Naruto threw the kunai at strategic vantage points around the Jonin, before forming a hand seal "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He created three exact copies himself, before all four versions of Naruto vanished in a black and yellow blur, reappearing by the scattered kunai, each clone shifting through hand seals.

"Shit," Kakashi muttering going through his own hand seals, "Water Style: Water Wall!"

The Narutos grinned, "Fire Style: Blazing Box Jutsu!" While two clones channeled bursts of fire, the real Naruto and a clone channeled wind chakra to enhance the power of the flames. Kakashi's eyes widened as the wall of water he'd created started to evaporate under the intense heat, and he quickly went through more hand seals, "Earth Style: Mud Dome!"

Just as the flames broke through the barrier, a dome of earth covered Kakashi, and protected him from the flames.

Sakura's eyes bulged, "Whoa! That's incredible!"

Hikari grinned, "Hell yeah it is! Naru could have graduated from the academy when we were 8 years old. He only stayed to keep me and Sasuke company."

Sasuke smirked, "He's much better than your average Genin, that's for sure."

Kakashi frowned as he leaped away from the blond _"Looks like I underestimated him..."_

Naruto, however, charged at the Jonin before he could fully recover, shifted through more hand seals as two clones leaped into the air, "Lightning Style: Thunder Cannon Hydro Devastator!" The clones in the air channeling lightning from their bodies and cat it downwards to fuse with the two massive streams of water coming from the real Naruto and the other clone, creating a massive burst of lighting charged water.

Kakashi quickly leaped away to the water, "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

The two attacks clashed in the air, and Kakashi took the opportunity to vanish into the forest _"Holy hell! Four elements, and he's only a Genin?! That Rinnegan...what awesome power. Although...the length of those jutsu names...he really is his father's son. Alright Hatake, time to get serious!"_

Naruto scanned the area, breathing heavily _"I'm almost ready...just need a few more seconds and I'll be able to do it..."_ He suddenly leaped high into the air as Kakashi's hands came straight out of the ground, while the Jonin leaped into action and quickly dispatched the clones before leaping up after Naruto, placing a kunai at the boy's neck in mid air, saying coolly, "It's over..." Kakashi said smugly.

Naruto smirked, "Damn straight it is."

Kakashi frowned, but suddenly felt a foot connect with the side of his head, throwing him straight into the ground. Naruto landed triumphantly, his clone dispelling, "I win."

Kakashi stared at him in disbelief, "But...how? When on earth did you mark me?"

Naruto grinned, "When you attacked my clones. I knew you'd probably go for an attack from underground, seeing as it's the one place I wasn't paying attention to, so I hid myself underground too and placed a minor perception-altering genjutsu on you as you went for my clones' legs, after which I subtly slapped a seal on your back before retreating back underground."

Kakashi shook his head in disbelief as he stood up, rubbing his sore cheek, "So when did you make that last clone?"

Naruto smirked, "When you used that mud wall."

Kakashi groaned, "Of course. That was very impressive Naruto. I underestimated you. Well, congratulations; you pass."

Naruto grinned...until he was tackled by his sister, "THAT WAS AWESOME NARU!"

"Dammit Hikari, get off!" Naruto pleaded as his sister pinned him to the ground.

Sasuke walked over to the pair, kneeling down with a look of slight concern on his face, "You okay there?"

Naruto, finally managing to throw his sister off, sighed, "I think so. Maybe I went a little overboard with those combos...that was a lot of chakra at once."

Sakura gulped as she approached him, "That was really cool, Naruto."

He grinned at her, "Thanks, Sakura."

Kakashi cleared his throat, "Alright guys, enough chit-chat. Naruto may have passed but you three have not. Now get ready, it's time for you three to be tested too."

 _Yakiniku BBQ, That Evening_

"KANPAI!" roared teams 7, 8 and 10, all of whom had passed their own individual tests. Their families were also present, as well as the Jonin senseis. Minato grinned at his eldest daughter, ruffling her hair affectionately, "So you figured out Kakashi's test, huh?"

She nodded happily, "Oh yeah! I thought it was weird he only had two bells, even if he did make that comment about Naruto being on the team no matter what. Then I remembered he was your student dad, and I figured out he must have been testing our ability to work as a team!"

Kushina grinned, "That's right! There's nothing more important than teamwork!"

Tsume Inuzuka laughed, "Damn straight Kushina! Just like our Genin days, eh?"

Shibi Aburame gave an uncharacteristic shudder, "Please...do not remind me."

Minato held back a laugh, and said, "Well, as Hokage I must say it pleases me to no end that you're all turning into such fine young shinobi of our village!"

Choza Akimichi held up his cup of sake and roared, "To the Will of Fire!"

Everyone cheered in agreement, "THE WILL OF FIRE!"

Inoichi Yamanaka frowned as he looked around the table, "Where are Naruto and Sasuke?"

Hikari rolled her eyes, "Probably out training again."

Shikaku Nara raised a brow, "They do this often?"

Kushina folded her arms with a small scowl, "Almost every night. Half the time Naruto doesn't even come home for dinner."

Sakura gaped, "No wonder they're so strong."

Shikamaru scowled "...troublesome."

Asuma Sarutobi raised a brow, "They that good?"

Hikari grinned, "Ask Kakashi-sensei! Naruto handed his ass to him on a silver platter!"

Kushina smacked her daughter over the head, "Watch your mouth!"

Kurenai Yuhi looked at Kakashi in surprise, "Is that right?"

Kakashi sweat dropped, "Well...it wasn't quite that bad...but yes I definitely underestimated him."

Minato laughed, "That's my boy for you!"

Hiashi Hyuga, who normally would not attend such functions, raised a brow, "Indeed? Such skill for one so young...it seems we have discovered the next Minato, eh Lord Hokage?"

Minato laughed even louder, "Maybe so!"

Ino giggled, "Man, I'd hate to go against your team Hikari, it sounds like you're going to be juggernauts!"

Shikamaru scowled again, "...troublesome."

Asuma sweat dropped, _"Is that the only word he knows?"_

Choji shrugged, "Maybe. Still, we're all comrades, right? So that means no matter what, we'll always have each other's backs!"

Choza nodded, patting his son's shoulder, "Well said, my boy."

 _Uchiha Compound, At The Same Time_

"Fire Style: Grand Phoenix Sweeping Obliteration Jutsu!" Naruto and Sasuke roared, spewing fire from their mouths in the form of a soaring phoenix. After the phoenix disappeared, both boys fell flat on their backs, panting heavily, and Sasuke said tiredly, "That's still a stupid name, Naruto."

Naruto laughed hoarsely, "Shut up, at least we managed it this time!"

Sasuke chuckled, "True. Man, that really takes it out of you!"

Naruto grinned, "Yeah, but it's so worth it. Imagine if we can pull it off in combat! Water Style beware!"

Sasuke outright laughed, "Hell yeah! It just sucks we can't use it unless I have my Sharingan active!"

Naruto turned his head, "Hey, it'll get easier once your third tomoe pops up! Besides, even with my Rinnegan it's hard for me to really use elemental jutsu like that!"

Sasuke scoffed, "That's because your primary, or at least _strongest_ , element makes you a natural wind user."

Naruto raised a brow, "And you're a lightning wielder, what's your point?"

Sasuke paused for a moment before smiling sheepishly, "None I guess. Seriously though, we have to shorten the name to that jutsu. And our other combos. This is getting ridiculous."

Naruto grinned, "Maybe so...still, that's one hell of a powerful jutsu."

They were brought out of their reverie by the appearance of Minato, who chuckled at the sight of the pair, "Honestly you two, you've got missions tomorrow and you're tiring yourselves out by training?"

Naruto pointed an accusing finger at his father, "Silence! You should've seen the jutsu we just made up together!"

Minato raised a brow, "So I wasn't just suffering from the effects of the sake when I saw that ridiculously large phoenix?"

Sasuke grinned, "No sir! That was a one hundred percent original combo Naruto and I made up!"

Naruto nodded, "Yep! I named it; Fire Style: Grand Phoenix Sweeping Obliteration Jutsu!"

Minato roared with laughter, "You really are just like me son, you even have the same knack for naming jutsu!"

Sasuke groaned, "Oh god please don't remind me!"

Minato chuckled, "Alright, well...I'll take you both back to our place, no sense in you passing out in the middle of the training field Sasuke."

The young Uchiha smiled, "Thanks, Lord Hokage."

Minato grinned, "Not a problem, you know that. You can use the spare bed in Naruto's room."

Naruto grinned at his father, "Thanks dad."

The Hokage nodded, putting a hand on both of their shoulders and vanishing in a flash.

 _Namikaze Residence, Seconds Later_

Kushina and Hikari were going over a few fuinjutsu tricks in the living room when Minato flashed in with an exhausted Naruto and Sasuke. Kushina scowled at her son, "Dammit Naruto, you have missions tomorrow! What possessed you to go and wear yourself out like this?!"

Naruto raised a fist in the air, "The most awesome Fire Style jutsu anyone will ever see!"

Sasuke nodded, "It's a little costly, that's all. We've been working on it for weeks now."

Hikari sighed, "You idiots. Alright, I'll carry Sasu if you carry Naru dad."

Sasuke scowled at her, "My name isn't Sasu."

Hikari giggled, "It is when you can't even move, pretty boy."

Naruto laughed, "Sorry Sasuke, she's got you there."

Kushina's brow twitched, "Whatever. I'm going to bed. Freakin' boys, never going to understand them."

 _Two Weeks Later_

Naruto's face twitched with annoyance and slight pain, gingerly touching the scratch marks on his face as the Fire Daimyo's wife virtually strangled Tora the cat to death. _"Damn furball deserves it too..."_

Minato sweat dropped as she left, the cat howling for help all the way, "...I get the feeling she'll be loose again very very soon."

Hikari groaned, "Come on dad, can't you give us a C-rank already? We've been doing two or three D-ranks a day at least for the past two weeks!"

Minato quirked a brow, "Hikari...when I'm here in this capacity it's 'Lord Hokage' not 'dad,' remember?"

The girl merely huffed, "Whatever. I demand a C-rank, right now!"

Minato looked at his former student in annoyance, but the Jonin quickly averted his gaze, as if to say 'she's your wife's daughter sesnei!' In desperation, the Hokage looked pleadingly at his son, who merely shook his head, still nursing the scratches on his arms, as if to say 'You're on your own.'

He sighed _"Traitorous little bastard...fine."_ Glancing through the potential mission scrolls, the blond looked at his predecessor, "What do you think, Lord Third?"

Hiruzen stroked his goatee, "...I think perhaps a simple escort mission would suffice. After all, they have done about 46 missions so far, most impressive for a fresh Genin team...even if they do have four members."

Minato nodded before glancing at Iruka, "And you, Iruka?"

Iruka tapped his chin with his pen, "Honestly? I'm not too keen to let fresh Genin attempt a C-rank...but...I suppose we have to test them eventually. Very well, I agree with Lord Third."

Minato sighed in resignation, "Very well. You're mission is to escort a client back to his home in the Land of Waves. He's a bridge builder named Tazuna. Let him in!"

The doors opened to reveal what appeared to be a mere drunk fisherman, who gave the Genin a once over and asked, "These brats are the best you could do?"

Naruto face palmed, while Sasuke and Sakura grabbed a now furious Hikari, holding a hand over her mouth to stop her from saying anything stupid. Kakashi chuckled nervously, "Well, I am a Jonin; an elite...and young Naruto here is far beyond your average Genin."

Tazuna shrugged, "Alright, whatever."

Minato rubbed his temple at his daughter's antics and said, "Do you accept the mission then, Kakashi?"

Kakashi quickly snagged the mission scroll from his former sensei, "Yes Lord Hokage. Mr. Tazuna, we'll see you tomorrow morning by the village gates at 9:30."

Tazuna nodded, and drunkenly sauntered away. With that, the Genin left the room, but Naruto and Kakashi were stopped by Minato who called out to them to wait for a moment. Once the doors were closed, Minato fixed them with a serious look, "Be careful, both of you. I'm sure there's something Tazuna's not telling us. Rumor has it Nami no Kuni is under the oppressive fist of Gato...though this could be rumor and nothing more. It goes without saying though that you both need to keep a close eye on Hikari...I don't want her losing control."

Naruto nodded, "Understood Lord Hokage. If necessary, I'll use my Rinnegan to subdue her for her own safety."

Kakashi nodded in agreement, "I'll also be prepared to do the same with my Sharingan."

Naruto's eyes opened wider in surprise for a brief moment _"So the stories are true..."_

Minato nodded, "Very well, but _only_ as a last resort. And Naruto...you might want to cast a mild genjutsu on yourself to hide your eyes. Nothing too intricate, just enough to fool civilians. We can't afford to let our enemies know you carry such a powerful dojutsu...or at least, let them know it's you if they do manage to spot you."

Naruto bowed, "As you say, Lord Hokage. Is that all?"

Minato grinned, "Yes, it is. Good luck on your mission."

Naruto bowed once more and promptly exited the room, making the older blond chuckle, "It's a stark contrast to his sister."

Kakashi sighed, "Indeed, sensei, indeed."

Iruka shook his head, "It's hard to remember they're related sometimes..."

Hiruzen laughed, "You think so? I think they're very much alike in the ways that really matter!"

 _The Next Morning_

Naruto yawned as he walked beside a grumpy Sasuke, who muttered, "That's the last time we try that jutsu for a while. I thought I was gonna die from chakra depletion."

Naruto nodded emphatically, "Yeah, no kidding. Remind me again why we decided to try it?"

Sasuke sighed, "Hell if I know. Seemed like a good idea at the time I guess."

Naruto shook his head, "Combining my wind and your lightning is going to be more difficult than we thought."

Sasuke shrugged "It's like combining fire and water; if you don't find a trick to make it work then all it'll do is evaporate. Or in this case, fizzle out and implode."

Naruto nodded in agreement as they approached the gates, where Hikari, Sakura, Tazuna and Kakashi were waiting. Sakura gasped as she saw them, "You guys look terrible!"

"Hn," was the only response she got from the pair.

Hikari giggled, "You should've seen them when they stumbled in last night! They looked like they'd been through a tornado!"

Kakashi raised a brow, "Well, let's get going. Standard formation; Naruto and Sasuke out front, Hikari and Sakura at the flanks, and I'll be at the rear. Tazuna, you'll be in the middle. It should only take us a few days to reach Nami no Kuni, so let's get going."

 _Four Hours Later_

"So you're saying it'd be like the eye of a hurricane, in theory?" Naruto asked his best friend as they led the group.

Sasuke nodded, "But it has to be coordinated perfectly, otherwise it'll blow up in our faces."

Naruto rubbed his chin, "Hmm...that might work. We'd need to practice it a lot though. We can't make the radius too wide, it diminishes the combat effectiveness."

Sasuke grinned, "Agreed. It's probably going to require timing too. We should really work on that more."

Tazuna stared at the pair in amazement as they prattled on in an almost alien language to non-shinobi, and a slightly insane one even by shinobi standards, and asked, "Do they do this often?"

Sakura sighed, "Every day."

Hikari shook her head, "They've been like this for years. Ever since they were little kids."

Tazuna raised a brow, "Why's that?"

Hikari giggled, "Our mom and Sasuke's mom were best friends, so those two were practically raised together. As a matter of fact, our moms were the godmothers of them, mine was someone else."

Tazuna frowned at the past tense use in reference to the Namikaze twins and Sasuke's mothers, "Were?"

Sakura sighed sadly, "Sasuke's entire clan was wiped out a few years ago...he's only ever really opened up to Naruto since."

Kakashi nodded grimly, "They're both heirs to powerful and respected clans, so they've had pressure on them since birth. Although Naruto's claim is a tad bit more...complicated."

Tazuna scratched his cheek, "Complicated how?"

Hikari gulped, not fond of the memory of that night, "My dad initially wanted me to become clan heir...but after Naruto lost it on him...well, my mom knocked some sense into my dad. Besides, I never wanted to be clan heir, that's always been Naru's dream."

Tazuna's eyes widened in surprise, "Really? Huh. Interesting...and you two are the children of the Hokage?"

Hikari grinned, "Yup! There are five of us so far...although knowing mom and dad we'll probably end up having another sibling or two yet! Although, Naru's the only one who looks like dad. The rest of us are girls, and we look like mom."

Naruto glanced over his shoulder, "At least you don't have my damn whiskers!"

Hikari rolled her eyes, "You're literally the only one who doesn't like them Naru!"

Sasuke shook his head when a small puddle caught his and Naruto's eyes. Without a word, the pair subtly nodded to one another, something Kakashi picked on with a proud smile as he prepared for the ambush. A few seconds later, said ambush came, and Kakashi's body became wrapped in chains, before being torn apart. Before the two assailants could finish their rush at Tazuna, however, Naruto and Sasuke threw kunai into the chains, pinning the assassins to a nearby tree. Before they could recover, the Uchiha-Namikaze duo soared through the air, drop kicking the assassins. Grabbing the head of one of the attackers, Naruto dropped his ocular genjutsu and forced the man to stare into his Rinnegan eyes. After a few seconds, the man's body went slack, and Naruto stood up, reapplying the ocular genjutsu.

Kakashi popped out of the nearby bushes, and briskly approached the Genin, saying, "Anyone hurt?"

No one answered, however his attention was drawn to Sakura who had a hand on Hikari's shoulder, "You alright?"

Kakashi frowned, but was stopped by Naruto who said, "They were after Tazuna. These guys are just grunts, but they were well versed in mental blocks...I'm not good enough with the Rinnegan yet to really affect them with it."

The Jonin nodded as Sasuke tied the pair securely to the tree, turning his attenetion back to the jinchuriki girl. Naruto followed his gaze and frowned, moving over to his sister and pulling her into a quick hug, "It's fine Hikari, it's fine. They were hidden by a genjutsu, you couldn't have known. No one's hurt, so snap out of it, okay? Remember what mom told you last night."

Hikari nodded, shaking her head and saying quietly, "While Naru's around nothing will happen to me."

Naruto grinned, "There's my sister! Now get your head in the game!"

She smiled at him, nodding her head as Sakura made sure she hadn't been injured. Happy with his work, Naruto turned to face Tazuna, as his sensei stepped closer, "So...Mr. Tazuna...it seems you've been holding out on us. Luckily I have two very skilled students who have been training together for so long, otherwise this might have gotten messy."

Tazuna gulped, looking around at the five pissed off ninja before slumping his shoulders, "...it's like this..."

 _The Next Day_

"Damn..." Kakashi muttered as the mist began to surround them.

Naruto immediately dropped his genjutsu and analyzed the mist with his Rinnegan, "...damn, I can't clear it with my eyes sensei. This stuff's way too potent."

Kakashi nodded, "That's fine, Naruto. Just stick close to me...I have a feeling those eyes of yours might still be quite helpful."

His words were proven true instantly as Naruto spotted a massive sword flying through the air, and the blond quickly roared, "EVERYONE DOWN!"

Sasuke leaped forward and tackled the girls to the ground as Kakashi did the samne with Tazuna, leaving Naruto to quickly fall backwards and hold his had out, managing to change the trajectory of the blade just enough to shoot it offcourse, spiraling further upwards into the tree behind him, the assailant who threw it landing deftly on the large weapon, a brow raised curiously as he stared at Naruto. Zabuza's eyes widened as he looked at Naruto's eyes, "The Rinnegan?! Now this is...unexpected."

Naruto smirked, "Zabuza Momochi...the Demon of the Bloody Mist...this is equally unexpected."

Kakashi smirked at his student's antics before turning his attention to the assassin before them, "What does one of Kiri's legendary Seven Ninja Swordsman want with a bridge builder?"

Zabuza scoffed, "It's a job Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan. I'm just here for the money."

Sasuke blinked _"Sharingan?! So Naruto was right...interesting."_

Naruto frowned, "Seems a bit excessive to send a Jonin-class rogue ninja after a single bridge builder."

Zabuza grinned from his concealed spot in the mist, "You're sharp kid. What's your name?"

Naruto straightened up, "My name is Naruto Namikaze. Son of the Fourth Hokage and heir to the Namikaze Clan."

Zabuza froze _"The Fourth Hokage's son?! He has the Rinnegan?! Damn...looks like I'll have to bring in some backup..."_ Without a word, Zabuza went through some hand seals before saying, "Naruto Namikaze, eh? Well then, I'm honored. To think I'd get to fight with the son of a Hokage...this is going to be fun."

Naruto cast a glance at his worried sister, and smiled warmly at her, "Don't worry, you guys are my comrades, I'll never let him hurt you!"

Zbuza smirked as he appeared behind the bridge builder, sword already swinging down, "Brave words kid!" Before the blade fell, however, Naruto's foot lodged its way into the swordsman's face, sending him flying backwards. The rogue ninja quickly bounced to his feet, groaning as he rubbed his sore jaw, "What the hell was that?"

Naruto smirked, pulling a sealing tag off of Tazuna's back "The Flying Thunder God technique. I marked Tazuna the moment we left the village."

Zabuza's face lit up in a gleeful smile, "Incredible...to have mastered that jutsu so young..."

Naruto shook his head, "I'm no master...I'm nowhere near as good as my father is."

Kakashi took the opportunity to lunge from the shadows at Zabuza, but was forced to roll away as a new attacker threw a kick at his head. Kakashi rolled to his feet, and frowned, "Figures Zabuza wouldn't come alone."

The newcomer smirked, "I am Hiroki Kaguya."

Naruto's eyes widened in alarm, "Kaguya?!"

Kakshi narrowed his eyes, "...this is not good..."

Zabuza roared with laughter, "The boy is all yours Hiroki...Kakashi is mine!"

Hikari gripped her kunai tighte,r "Naru..."

Sasuke gripped her shoulder firmly, "Trust in him. If all else fails, he can use his eyes. He'll be alright, we need to focus on keeping Tazuna safe."

Sakura nodded in agreement, "We need to find a spot with better cover, come on!"

Sasuke, slightly stunned by Sakura's take charge attitude, nodded, grabbing Tazuna and making a beeline for the edge of the forest.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the others retreat away, and focused his attention back on to Hiroki. The Kaguya boy smirked, "So...you think you're hot stuff, huh?"

Naruto grinned, "Why don't you come on and find out? Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Four Naruto clones popped into existence, and immediately shifted through hand seals, two of them leaping in the air and all yelling in sync, "Fire Style: Majestic Fire Star Rise!"

In the trees, Hikari and Sasuke deadpanned _"Why the hell did you make the name so long?!"_

Hiroki's eyes widened as a massive flaming star blazed towards him, and he quickly dived out of the way to avoid getting hit. He growled as he rolled back to his feet _"This kid's not half bad..."_ Holding his fingers out flat at Naruto, the Kaguya sneered, "Finger Bullets!"

Naruto, throwing caution to the wind, leaped off of one of his clones into the air as the attack destroyed all five of his previous clones, "Damn...so you _are_ one of those Kaguya...this just got complicated..."

Hiroki smirked, extending his wrists, pulling out two bone blades before charging Naruto at high speed. Naruto gasped, quickly reaching for two kunai and clashing them with Hiroki's blades. Hiroki smirked, driving a knee into Naruto's gut followed by two quick slashes across the blond's left leg. "Shit!" Naruto yelped as he spiraled away, desperate to put some distance between himself and the bone-wielder. His efforts, however, were all for naught, as before he could properly recompose himself, Hiroki was on top of him, once again clashing blades but the time raising his other hand, more finger bullets forming. Naruto's eyes widened, but managed to escape by teleporting away to the safety of the kunai he'd thrown into the ground earlier. Naruto grabbed his neck and shoulder where a few of the finger bullets had hit him. Hiroki blinked, whirling around just in time to see Naruto pull out a scroll, wiping blood on it and summoning a black katana to his hand.

The Kaguya licked his lips, "Cute trick. But a fancy shunshin and a flimsy sword won't save you!"

Naruto smirked, "Flimsy? This sword was forged in Uzushiogakure, years before its untimely destruction. I may not be the most skilled in kenjutsu...but it'll be enough to take you down, Kaguya."

Hiroki laughed, "If you say so...now on guard!" He quickly ran towards Naruto, firing off more finger bullets before leaping into the air with a slightly larger bone blade and slashing downwards.

Naruto went through a few quick hand seals to counter the finger bullets swiftly, "Wind Style: Blustering Winds!"

The high-speed gale clashed with the incoming bone fragments, halting their advance and causing them to fly away in random directions. Having promptly taken care of the projectiles, the Namikaze heir unsheathed the sword to reveal a cerulean colored blade attached to a black and blue hit and a square guard, bringing it up to block the bone attack. He swore under his breath as Hiroki twisted in the air kicking Naruto square in the face and sending him flying backward before he crashed into a tree.

"...damn that hurt," Naruto muttered, drawing the blade back up and channeling chakra into it, "Water Style: Aqua Slicer!"

Three sharp blades of water soared at the other boy, who barely had enough time to move before the water attack demolished a nearby rock. Naruto swore again _"Jeez this guy's fast! He must be lowering his bone density temporarily to increase his speed...tricky bastard!"_ Snapping out of his thoughts, Naruto changed tactics, and charged forward on the offensive, channeling fire chakra into his sword as he brought it down on the bone blade, "Fire Style: Dancing Flame Strike!" To Hiroki's horror, the bone blade shattered upon impact, and Naruto's blade managed to slice open his chest partially.

Using finger bullets to put mild distance between them, Hiroki clutched his chest gingerly, _"He knew I had to lower my bone density to move quickly...damn him, he's perceptive!"_ Taking a moment to readjust his body, Hiroki took note of Naruto's heavy breathing _"Hmm...seems like he's been using up too much chakra...I just need to stall him..."_

Naruto growled in frustration _"High level reserves my ass, dad! I shouldn't have so much trouble switching between elements with my Rinnegan active! Ugh...I need to end this quick, or I really will have to use my other tricks!"_ Taking a deep breath, Naruto created three more clones, pulling out his four remaining special kunai and throwing them around Hiroki in a square formation. The Kaguya flinched momentarily, which was all Naruto needed; sheathing his sword, Naruto and his clones flashed to the kunai, having already flown through the necessary hand seals, "Fire Style: Blazing Box Jutsu!"

"FUCK!" Hiroki roared, hastily bringing his bones to the surface as armor as the flames scorched any visible skin on his body. Naruto and his clones all leaped away, snagging the kunai on their way _"Did...did I get him?"_

Much to Naruto's horror, however, Hiroki growled from behind the wall of smoke and dying flames, "That hurt you insignificant little brat!" Naruto blinked as the Kaguya walked out of the fire, his body visibly covered in bone armor. The Kaguya wasted no more time, quickly raising both hands and roaring, "Finger Bullets!"

Naruto froze, time slowing down in his mind _"No time to dodge...oh man this is going to suck...DEVA PATH! TUNNELING REPULSION!"_ Naruto focused his chakra into his Rinnegan, and a familiar feeling of power flooded his system as he held his hands out in front of him, an invisible force repelled the projectiles, forcing them back to an unsuspecting Hiroki, who barely had enough time to move as they came flying at him, getting hit in the arm and shattering the bone armor lodged there.

 _"What the hell was that?!"_ Hiroki mentally screamed, retracting the armor to bring his speed back up _"He completely deflected and redirected my jutsu! That shouldn't be possible!"_ Growling, Hiroki created several smaller bone blades, and began to throw them at Naruto at different angles, "Bone Kunai!"

Naruto once again focused on Hiroki's attack, and held out a hand, "Divine Rejection!" The kunai were sent hurtling back at the Kaguya, who was unable to dodge them all, getting hit in several places along his torso. His cries of pain were silenced, however, when an unknown force suddenly jerked his body forward, and a mechanical cannon formed out of Naruto's right shoulder, charging up a blast of pure chakra that the blond shot right into Hiroki's side. Hiroki howled in pain as he was flung backwards, clutching his charred stomach _"If I hadn't hardened my bones in my chest I would have been blown clean in two! What is this kid?!"_

Naruto winced, grabbing his head as, much to his displeasure, Hiroki got back up. "Dammit...I really didn't want to have to do this...but you leave me now choice!" With that, Naruto held out his hands to the side, and he began to float upwards into the air, stunning everyone on the battlefield. Kakashi and Zabuza paused in their fight, both shocked by the intense chakra presence that seemed to be radiating off of him. Glaring at the Kaguya, Naruto roared, "PILLAR OF JUSTICE!"

Hiroki didn't even have time to blink before he felt that same incredible force slam him into the dirt, breaking almost every bone in his body and rendering him unconscious. Naruto landed back on the ground with a grunt, clutching his eyes before falling backwards and passing out.

 _The Next Day_

"Agh...what the hell hit me?" Naruto groaned as he slowly sat up.

"NARU!" Hikari cried, tackling her brother in a tight hug.

"Easy Hikari, he needs room to breath!" Sakura yelped, wrenching the redhead off of her brother.

"About time you woke up," Sasuke said with a smirk, although Naruto caught the flash of worry in the Uchiha's eyes.

Naruto groaned again as he sat up fully, "What the heck happened?"

Kakashi, also bedridden beside his student, sighed, "We both overdid it. Although it's good you're awake...you gave us quite a scare."

Naruto grimaced, "Yeah...happens when I use my eyes like that too much."

Hikari glared at him, "Damn straight! What were you thinking, Naru?! One of us could have helped you!"

Naruto shivered as he remembered his battle, "Honestly? He would have killed you before you could blink. He was a member of the Kaguya clan, one of the most feared in all of Kiri. Before they were wiped out that is."

Sasuke frowned, "Wiped out?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yes. The Kaguya Clan...a group of savages with a kekkai genkai that could make your skin crawl. I didn't get a chance to see too much of your battle Naruto...but I assume he could perform bone manipulation."

Naruto nodded, "Oh yeah. And he knew how to use it too. If it weren't for the Rinnegan I doubt I could have killed him."

Sakura cleared her throat, "Actually, Naruto, um..."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "I did kill him, right?"

Kakashi sighed, "No. Shortly after you finished your fight I had Zabuza on the ropes...until a pair of Kiri ANBU came to drag both Zabuza and Hiroki's bodies away."

Naruto blinked, "Well shit."

Sasuke raised a brow, "You're familiar with their methods?"

The blond nodded, "Hell yeah I am! They're supposed to dispose of the bodies on sight!"

Kakashi nodded, "Exactly. In light of recent circumstances, this mission is now A-rank, and I've sent a request to the village for backup. They should be here sometime today, if they travel at full speed."

Naruto scratched his head, "So as opposed to just escort detail, we're now doubling as bodyguards until we can deal with Zabuza's little gang?"

Hikari grinned, "Pretty much!"

Naruto groaned once more, flopping back down on the futon, "Wonderful."

Tazuna poked his head through the door, "Someone call me?"

Naruto pointed an accusing finger at him, "This is your fault you goddamn drunk!"

Tazuna shook his head, "Whatever you say, brat. At least you're up and about, Tsunami was worried you'd actually died."

Naruto blinked in confusion, "Who?"

"That'd be me," said a soft female voice from behind her father. Tsunami was a pretty woman who looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She smiled warmly at Naruto, "I'm glad to see you up! Would you like something to eat?"

 _Six Hours Later_

Asuma Sarutobi and his team arrived swiftly at the home of Tazuna, the urgency in Kakashi's message prompting the Fourth Hokage to send the next available backup team to aid Team 7. He put out his cigarette and knocked on the door, which was opened slowly by Tsunami, "Can I help you?"

Asuma nodded, "We're the backup requested by Kakashi Hatake."

Tsunami glanced at the man's headband, before nodding slowly and moving away from the door and opening it fully so they could enter. Asuma smiled warmly at her as he entered the house, motioning for Ino, Shikamaru and Choji to follow him in. As he entered the kitchen, he couldn't help but raise a brow at Kakashi and Naruto, the former holding crutches and the latter having his neck wrapped in bandages, "You guys look like hell!"

Naruto groaned, rubbing his eyes, "Please don't, Asuma-sensei. I feel dumb enough."

Kakashi sighed, "We both underestimated our opponents, Naruto. It happens."

Sasuke huffed, folding his arms, "Well maybe if you'd let me actually fight with you Naruto..."

The blond shook his head, "Kakashi-sensei needed your help more than I did. It would've gotten a lot more dicey if you and Hikari hadn't...ouch! What the heck Ino!"

Ino glared at him, "Stop being reckless! You may be strong, but you're still a Genin!"

Naruto held his head gingerly, "Still doesn't mean you have to bash my skull in!'

Sakura giggled, "Well at least things are relatively normal. Ino and Naruto squabbling like an old married couple!"

Both blonds blushed, hiding their faces while muttering something about stupid pink haired loudmouths. Sasuke snickered at his best friend's expense, but quickly returned his attention to the two Jonin, "So...how are we going to fight them?"

Kakashi sighed, "They won't take us lightly next time. Zabuza was a lot stronger than I gave him credit for. If I hadn't of been able to psyche him out, the whole thing would have gone much differently."

Naruto, blush now mostly gone, nodded in agreement, "That jerk I fought was toying with me when we fought. He won't make the same mistake again."

Asuma scratched his beard in thought. Naruto's skills were well known throughout the Konoha Shinobi Corps, and it was no secret he could have already made chunin, probably Jonin by now, years ago, so for him to be pushed so far...it was rather unnerving. Giving the Namikaze a cool look, he asked, "You went all out?"

Naruto pinched the bride of his nose, "Pretty much. It still wasn't enough though...I don't think I can beat that kekkei genkai."

Shikamaru raised a brow, "What kekkei genkai?"

Naruto cringed, "The Dead Bone Pulse of the Kaguya Clan."

Asuma's eyes widened, "Seriously?!"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah...and he was _extremely_ versatile with it. The only good news is that I don't think he's a very talented shinobi apart from that...but still."

Kakashi frowned, "Then we need to do some training and prepare for them. Asuma, I assume you haven't worked on any chakra control exercises yet?"

Asuma shook his head, "Not quite. Why, you think it'd be better to do it as a group?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Every little bit helps."

Naruto quickly cut in, "I've already mastered the basic ones. If it all possible, I'd like to plant some of my marks on the bridge so we can prepare for a confrontation."

Kakashi cleared his throat, "Perhaps this is talk for tomorrow. For now, let's show our kind hosts some respect."

Naruto smiled at Tsunami, and got up to help her prepare dinner. At first she tried to convince him to rest a little more, but upon his insistence, accepted the help. Not wanting to seem rude, Sasuke got up to help Tazuna bring in a spare table so there would be room at the table to fit everyone. Sometime later, they all sat around the table enjoying the food and light conversation when a small boy walked in, glancing briefly at the people gathered in the house as Tsunami stood quickly, "Inari! Where have you been, it's late!"

Inari frowned, "Out."

Tazuna smiled at his grandson, "Come eat with us, Inari! These are the shinobi who are going to keep us safe form Gato and his men!"

Hikari grinned widely at the boy, "That's right! We're the heroes come to save the day!"

Inari glared at Hikari at the word 'heroes,' something Naruto noted mentally, before snarling at her, "Heroes? Don't make me laugh, a bunch of kids like you can't do anything against Gato, you'll just die like everyone else! Heroes'? WHAT A JOKE!"

Hikari glared at him, "What'd you say you little brat?!" Before she could lunge at him, however, Sasuke and Sakura pinned her down, hissing at the jinchuriki to behave herself and calm down. Inari glared at her one last time before turning on his heel and running out of the house, his mother calling out to him worriedly. Naruto downed the last of his stew and abruptly stood up, "Thank you for the meal, Tsunami. I think I'm gonna go see if the kid's okay, my sister can be kind of harsh."

"That's mean Naru!" Hikari pouted, and Naruto just winked at her before making his way out of the house.

 _Docks Near Tazuna's House_

Inari sat at the edge of the docks, his legs dangling over the side, sniffling as he thought about his deceased father. "Thought you might be out here," Naruto said, sitting down next to the boy.

Inari looked at him, startled, "H-how?"

Naruto smiled softly at the boy, "It's just one of those places. I have one back home in my village."

Inari frowned, but nodded all the same, "I see..."

Naruto nudged the boy, "You wanna talk about it?"

Inari held back tears, "...yes."

Naruto nodded, "Well...I'm in no hurry. Take your time."

Inari began to tell Naruto the tale of his father, and the circumstances around his death. He'd never opened up like this to anyone, but something about Naruto made him feel...safe. Once he finished his story, he had broken down into tears. Without a word, Naruto put a hand on the boy's head, ruffling his hair gently. After a while, Inari calmed down, and looked at Naruto, "W-why are you being so nice to me?"

Naruto closed his eyes, "Because I know what it's like to lose faith in your hero. Not so long ago, my dad constantly ignored me. He always made time for my sisters...but left me high and dry. Then one day he said he was making my twin Hikari, the loudmouth redhead back there, the clan heir...I was really upset. So upset in fact, that for a little while I despised him with all my being. I lost my faith in my hero."

Inari stared at him wide eyed, "What happened after that?"

Naruto grinned, "I found the strength to forgive him, and ever since we've been really close. He even changed his mind and decided that I was more than worthy to be his heir. So you see...I understand how you feel. Of course, my dad's still alive but...the message is the same. You have to find the strength to forgive your father for leaving you without a hero. It's not easy, but it's worth it. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll find a new hero, one who'll inspire you to become really strong!"

Inari's eyes widened even more as he stared at Naruto's smiling face, before his own cracked into a very small smile as well, "I...I will, big brother Naruto! I promise!"

Naruto nodded, ruffling his hair once more, totally fine with Inari's nickname for him, "Good. Now come on, I bet you're hungry, right?"

Inari blushed as his stomach's loud growl answered for him, making Naruto laugh, "Okay then! Why don't you climb on my back, and I'll show you a shinobi way of getting from one place to the other!"

Inari nodded, gripping Naruto's shoulders tight as the blond bent his knees and leaped into the trees nearby, the small boy on his back yelling, "WOOHOO!"

 _The Next Morning, Tazuna's House_

"Hey big brother Naruto, how come your eyes look like that?" Inari asked curiously, sitting close to his side as they ate.

Tsunami and Tazuna blinked _"Big brother Naruto?"_

Kakashi eye smiled at his pupil _"Seems like Naruto's got a pretty amazing gift...bringing people out of their shells and inspiring them to become the best they can be. One conversation with a shattered boy, and said boy's a new person the next day."_

Naruto tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Well...you see it's a very rare gift that I was granted. I wasn't born with them though, they came later."

Inari's eyes widened, "Then how did they look before?"

Naruto winked, holding his hand in half ram seal and casting the genjutsu on his eyes, changing them to a cerulean blue, "Just like this. I get 'em from my dad."

The Genin at the table all flinched at Naruto's mention of fathers, but oddly enough Inari just grinned, "Mom says I get my eyes from my dad too! Right mom?"

Tazuna and Tsunami's jaws dropped simultaneously _"DID HE JUST TALK ABOUT HIS FATHER?!"_ Realizing she'd been asked a question, Tsunami quickly smiled at him, "Um...yes, yes you did!"

Inari gave her a toothy grin, looking back at Naruto with pride. Naruto simply smiled, ruffling the boy's hair, "That's pretty cool, Inari."

Hikari gave the boy a somewhat jealous look, much to Kakashi's amusement, and poked her brother in the ribs, whispering in his ear, "How'd you get that kid to do a complete 180?"

Naruto simply shrugged, grinning at her, "I'm good like that."

Sasuke snickered at the pout on Hikari's face, "Jealous much there, tomato-head?"

Naruto froze, and so did Sasuke once he realized what he'd said. Hikari slowly turned her head towards him, her eyes blazing with a deadly fire and tic marks on her face, "What. Did. You. Just. Call. ME?!"

Sasuke gulped, looking pleadingly around the table only to discover everyone had moved out of the danger zone. He chuckled nervously, "Now Hikari...no need to get upset...!" He never did finish his sentence, because the next thing anyone knew, Sasuke had been twisted around like a pretzel and stuffed in the corner, poor Inari traumatized and scarred for life.

 _One Hour Later, The Forest Near Tazuna's_

Naruto carefully helped a beaten Sasuke into the clearing, making sure to steer completely clear of his sister for the time being. Kakashi and Asuma sweat dropped, before the latter cleared his throat, "Alright kids, we're going to go ahead and get started with this special training!"

Shikamaru yawned, earning him a slap over the head from Ino, who said, "What kind of special training?"

Kakashi eye smiled, "Simple! You're going to climb trees!"

All the Genin, save Naruto, dead panned, and Sakura merely replied, "...huh?"

Trying not burst out laughing, Asuma looked at Naruto, "Care to demonstrate?"

Naruto nodded, and placed his hands in a ram seal, "It's easy, really. Just channel chakra to your feet like so..." with that he placed his hands in his pockets and walked over to the closest tree, casually walking up it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, showing off a bit by hanging upside down on the nearest branch "See? Nothing to it!"

The other Genin gaped at him, and Hikari folded her arms, "Showoff."

Naruto smirked at his sister before hopping down and walking over to the two senseis. Kakashi grinned, "Now then, each of you will need a kunai to practice with...it's highly unlikely you'll get very far on the first try."

Naruto suppressed a laugh as he glanced at Sakura, _"She'll make them eat their words...I can already tell."_

Taking out a kunai each, the six Genin found their own trees and began to attempt the exercise. Naruto couldn't help but laugh out loud with Asuma when Hikari, Sasuke and Shikamaru immediately feel flat on their asses, blinking in total confusion. Choji did a little better, but not much. Same went for Ino, before she slipped and fell face first into the dirt below. Sakura, however, let out a triumphant cry as she reached the top branch of her tree. Naruto smirked _"Just as I thought."_

Kakashi blinked in surprise, "Well well well! Good job Sakura!"

Asuma nodded, "Not bad at all! Excellent chakra control!"

The other five Genin all shot her looks of awe mixed with contempt. Kakashi grinned, "Well then Sakura, looks like you can accompany Naruto to inspect the bridge with Tazuna."

Sakura beamed at him, "You got it sensei!"

Ino shot her a jealous look _"Crafty little...better keep her hands to herself!"_

Hikari smirked at Ino _"Called it."_

Naruto grinned, "Well alright then. Let's get going, I want to set up my marks on the bridge."

 _Unfinished Bridge, Two Hours Later_

Sakura giggled at an ecstatic Inari, who had perched himself on Naruto's shoulders, "Man, this my grandpa's the best bridge builder ever! This is gonna be so cool when it's finished!"

Naruto laughed, "I bet it will be Inari! I'll have to come visit when it's done!"

Sakura nodded with a smile, "We all will!"

Inari grinned at her, "Man, I can't wait! Once you beat all the bad guys we'll finally be free big brother Naruto!"

Naruto smiled softly, "You bet your hat on that Inari. I'll beat them black and blue and free everyone! Believe it!"

Sakura smiled fondly at the blond, _"Where does he get that confidence from? It's so contagious too..."_

Naruto came to a halt about halfway up the bridge, and looked around, "Hey Sakura, you mind watching Inari for a second? I need to get my marks in position."

Sakura nodded, kneeling down to chat with the boy, still slightly confused as to what these 'marks' were. "Hey Sakura?"

She glanced down at Inari, "What is it buddy?"

"Are you and Naruto dating?"

Sakura's face heated up so fast she got a little dizzy, "What? No way! What on earth gave you that impression?"

Inari shrugged, "I dunno. You guys just seem to like each other a lot."

Sakura smiled at him, "We're teammates Inari, that's a very special bond. Besides, Naruto likes a different girl...and I have my eyes set on a different guy!"

Inari nodded, "I think I get it. Well, the next time you guys visit, I'll have a girlfriend of my own!"

Sakura giggled uncontrollably at the small boy, ruffling his hair. Naruto, who had just come back, raised a brow, "Uh...all done. Let's go find your grandpa and make sure he's behaving himself, shall we?"

 _Four Hours Later, Marketplace_

Sakura raised a brow at her teammate, "You think I should try medical ninjutsu?"

Naruto shrugged, "I don't see why not. You've definitely got the right mindset and set of skills for it. I can ask granny Tsunade next time I see her for you."

Sakura's eyes widened, "Really?!"

Naruto grinned, "Well sure! As future Hokage, I want someone I can trust to take over for the old bird!"

Sakura grinned back, "That would be totally amazing Naruto, thank you!"

Naruto laughed "Honestly Sakura, it's not a problem." Naruto, hoowever, suddenly sported a mild blush, "Uh...by the way...if you don't mind...could you, uh...tell me more about Ino? Not that I'm too curious or anything it's just...Hikari won't tell me anything."

Sakura grinned slyly at him, "Is that right? Little ol' Naruto's got a crush?"

Naruto huffed, folding her arms, "Whatever."

Sakura giggled, "I'm only teasing you! But if you want to really impress her...then listen close!"

 _Three Days Later, Unfinished Bridge_

"So Naruto, why did you need to set up all your marks beforehand?" Asuma asked as they leaned against the side of the bridge.

Naruto sighed, pulling out one of his special kunai and spinning it in his hand, "I may be able to use the Flying Thunder God, but only if my 'mark' or my kunai are relatively still. I don't have the skill yet to teleport to a moving target. So to compensate for my lack of chakra reserves, my dad helped me design my own custom tags with my mark on it to teleport to. The only issue is that they're one use only, which is why I wanted to set up in advance. There are about 25 marks on the bridge, and the last 5 I had are on Tazuna, Tsunami and three key locations in the forest around their house."

Asuma raised a brow, "None on Inari?"

Naruto's lips twitched, "Not exactly, but I've got that covered, don't worry."

Asuma shrugged as Sakura came over to join them, "Based on what I gathered from you and Kakashi, they should be coming back any day now."

Naruto sighed, "I know. Still, I think having your team deal with that Kaguya would be best. He's just too skilled and well versed in his clan's technique's for me to beat. But if Ino can get into that head of his? He's done for."

Asuma scratched his beard, "They'll need to be quick. I'm confident I'll end up having to do finish the job...but I can't leave Kakashi alone for long. Not if there are two more we have to deal with."

Naruto nodded "I'll keep them busy and figure out which one to take on myself, then I'll let Hikari and Sasuke deal with the other one."

Sakura deflated a little, "...what about me?"

Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, "You'll need to keep an eye on Tazuna. After Ino, Shikamaru and Choji finish up they'll take over for you and you can move to support Hikari and Sasuke."

Sakura brightened up, "Okay! I'll do my best!"

Asuma chuckled _"Damn; kid's got a good head on his shoulders. He and Shikamaru will make an absolutely deadly pair one day, I'm sure of it."_

Naruto suddenly tensed up, before saying, "They're getting started," before vanishing in a flash, immediately putting Asuma and Sakura on alert.

Kakashi, Sasuke and Team 10 raced onto the bridge, Sasuke raising a brow, "Where's Naruto?"

Sakura crinkled her brow, "I'm not sure...he said it's already started."

Kakashi growled, "Yeah...they're on their way now."

Ino gulped, and Asuma placed a firm hand on her shoulder, "No matter what, nothing will happen to you guys. We'll give up our own lives before we let that happen."

Sasuke pulled out a kunai and got into an offensive stance _"Hurry up Naruto...the fun better not start without you!"_

 _Tazuna's Home_

Tsunami screamed as she was thrown into the kitchen, the two samurai smirking down at her. Inari, who had been hiding in the pantry, suddenly gripped the kunai Naruto had given him, and charged out at them, screaming, "LEAVE MY MOM ALONE!"

"NO INARI!" Tsunami screamed in horror as her son was brutally kicked aside by the shirtless samurai.

He sneered, "Just a kid? Whatever, it'll be fun to carve him up..."

Inari shook with fear closing his eyes tight and screaming, "BIG BROTHER NARUTO!"

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THEM!" Naruto roared as he flashed into existence, driving a knee straight into the face of the shirtless samurai before spinning around in mid-air and dropping his heel down on the head of the second mercenary. Inari gasped at Naruto's ferocious attack, quickly running to his mom as Naruto landed. Tsunami gripped Inari tight in her arms and cried in relief.

Naruto growled at the downed samurai as they tried to stand up, only to be slammed back into the ground by Hikari. "Stay the hell down you worthless pieces of trash!" she growled, pinning their heads into the floor.

Naruto grinned at his sister before turning around and placing a gentle hand on Inari's shouler, drawing the boy's attention and saying kindly, "You were really brave Inari. Sorry I was a little late, but the hero always arrives just in the nick of time, believe it!"

Hikari gave Inari a big smile, "Told you we were heroes!"

Inari grinned back at them, gripping the special kunai Naruto gave him in case of an emergency, "I guess...you guys are my new heroes!"

Naruto laughed as he and his sister tied up the samurai, Hikari placing paralyzing sealing tags on their foreheads before nodding to her brother. Naruto glanced back at Inari and gave him a thumbs up, "You did really good Inari, now we're gonna go honor your father's memory!"

As they flashed away, Inari's heart clenched tightly, and he quickly stood up, saying to his mother, "...I'm going to go and help them. If no one wants to fight with me, that's fine. But I can't leave big brother Naruto to fight without at least watching him!"

 _Back At The Bridge_

Zabuza chuckled as he looked over the gathered Konoha shinobi, "Looks like you've brought backup this time Kakashi. Although I don't see the Namikaze brat anywhere."

Hiroki smirked, "Whatever. He's just scared cuz he knows this time his little magic trick won't work. I'll kill him before he gets a chance to use it!"

Kakashi smirked, "If you say so. He's just tying up a few loose ends...he'll be here..."

A bright flash of yellow light appeared in the center of the bridge, and Naruto quickly finished his sensei's sentence, "...in a flash!"

Sasuke face palmed at the dramatic entrance, but Sakura couldn't help but feel slightly giddy as she subtly pulled Tazuna away from the others. Hikari leaped over to Sasuke, kunai already in her hands. Naruto narrowed his gaze on the fake Kiri ANBU before glancing at the Kaguya and smirking, "I already took you down, you don't interest me anymore. Your masked friends, however..."

As Naruto trailed off he unsheathed his sword, which he had already released at Tazuna's, and suddenly vanished in a flash, reappearing behind the taller of the two masked shinobi and driving a kick into the back of his head, sending said shinobi flying forwards. Zabuza and Hiroki quickly turned to engage him, but were cut short by Asuma and Kakashi, who began their own assaults. Trusting Hikari and Sasuke to take on the one he had kicked, Naruto swiftly brought down his sword to block the other masked ninja, taken aback by their speed _"Holy fuck that was fast! I barely had enough time to counter!"_

The masked ninja recoiled in surprise, "You actually deflected that. I'm impressed."

Naruto scowled, "I hate it when you bastards are stupid fast...Lightning Style: Precision Electrocution Charge!"

The masked ninja leaped backwards to avoid the lightning charged blade, moving through hand signs at blinding speeds, "Ice Style: Icicle Senbon!"

"Oh fuck me," Naruto muttered quickly bringing up his blade to block as the ice-coated senbon flew at him, stabbing him in several places along the leg. Growling, Naruto created a few clones, each charging the next jutsu before he roared, "Lightning Style: Thunder Cannon Hydro Devastator!"

The mysterious shinobi once again dodged the attack with relative ease, although the thought crossed their mind _"...does he have ridiculous names for all his jutsu?!"_ After landing out of a back flip, the shinobi gasped, not seeing Naruto anywhere. Purely on reflex, the shinobi whirled around and blocked a sword strike from the blond, "It seems your speed is nothing to laugh at...!" They were cut off as Naruto reared his head back and slammed their foreheads together "Secret Uzumaki Technique: Skull Crusher!"

The porcelain mask crumbled to nothingness, and revealed...a boy? A girl? Naruto blinked a few times, looking the shinobi over, "Wait, what?"

The shinobi sighed, "My name is Haku. And I am a boy."

Naruto shook his head, "Thank god. So tell me, Haku...what's your special trick?"

Haku smirked, charging forward and clashing once more, using his senbon to hold Naruto in place and he went through hand seals with one hand, something that utterly shocked and terrified Naruto, before quietly saying, "Ice Style: Ice Senbon Reflection!"

Naruto pushed Haku away just in time to deflect the incoming senbon...or so he thought. "GAH!" he roared as he felt several icicle sendon embed themselves in his back. His clones were not so lucky, and all poofed out of existence Turning around to deflect the second wave, he once again felt his back shredded open by the attack, driving the blond to his knees "What the hell...?"

Haku smirked "Is this all you have, Naruto Namikaze? I was hoping for more..."

Naruto growled, standing back up and sheathing his sword _"I get it...he's using his ice as a reflective surface so I can't tell which way the senbon are coming from...and I can't make them out in the damn mist! This is very not good..."_ Shifting through more hand signs, Naruto crouched down and began to spin, "Fire Style: Spinning Phoenix Blast Bullets!"

Haku sweat dropped internally at yet another long name...until he saw the fireballs detonate. _"Good god!"_ Haku thought with slight panic, leaping away to avoid the destruction, only to feel the cool metal of a blade slashing across his back. Haku gasped, leaping into the air and attaching himself to one of the support beams on the bridge. "So fast..."

Naruto smirked below, wiping the blood off of his sword, "Like it? It's my dad's technique. Flying Thunder God. I'm not as fast as he is...but luckily you've been playing right into my hands all along." To emphasize his point, Naruto flashed to Haku's right, slicing open the young man's side viciously.

Haku grit his teeth, dropping down and backing up against the railing of the bridge, and began to weigh his options _"I could try and run...but he'd likely be on me before I could blink...time to get creative then!"_

 _With Team 10_

Choji grunted as he was punted back across the bridge towards Ino, who rushed over to help him up. Shikamaru grit his teeth as the Kaguya boy gave them an unimpressed look, "Seriously? This is all you guys have? I might as well kill you now and spare myself the effort."

Shikamaru stole a glance at the boy's position, gritting his teeth _"Just a little more, dammit!"_ He was brought out of his musings when a large explosion rocked the bridge, and Naruto came flying through the mist and right into Ino, who squeaked before slightly panicking, "NARUTO!"

The blond boy groaned loudly as he struggled to stand up, "Fuckin' Yuki Clan..."

Hiroki's eyes lit up, and he licked his lips with a sinister smirk, "Namikaze..."

Haku leaped over to Hiroki's side, his face slashed in several places and his right leg scorched badly, "Back the hell off Kaguya, this guy is mine..."

Naruto coughed up a little blood, clutching his burned left arm, pulling a few senbon out of his right leg before refocusing on the two before them, "Having a little trouble?"

Choji shook himself to shake off the shock and brought his eyes back to their enemies, "Just a little bit. You?"

Naruto scoffed, "What, my battered body isn't enough for you to tell?"

"Not really, you're a tough son of a bitch!" yelled Sasuke as he joined them.

Naruto raised a brow, "Where's my sister?"

Sasuke punched his right shoulder, "Relax, she's with Sakura and Tazuna. The guy we faced was a real pain to fight, and the only reason we beat him was because of the freakish number of shadow clones she can make."

Naruto sighed in relief, "How you doing on chakra?"

Sasuke rolled his shoulders, "Probably at about 60%, you?"

Naruto groaned as he pulled the final senbon out of his leg, "Only 55%. We could try using our new combo...but we'd only get one shot."

Sasuke nodded, "That'll leave me with about 20% overall...and you at roughly 15%...yeah, worth it."

Naruto grinned, "Shikamaru! We're going to get you that opening. Focus on the Kaguya, we'll handle Haku."

Shikamaru glanced at them, "Are you sure?"

Naruto nodded to him, "Positive, now stand WAY the fuck back!"

After the trio did so, Sasuke activated his Sharingan and the pair blitzed through hand seals, before cocking their heads back and spewing forth flames at the two charging shinobi, "Fire Style: Grand Phoenix Sweeping Obliteration!"

Even through the thick and potent mist, everyone could see the gargantuan phoenix the rose into the air before crashing down on top of Haku and Kaguya, whose weak defenses eventually gave way and scorched the pair, although Haku managed to reflect a great deal of the initial impact with his ice mirrors. Hiroki, however, was not so lucky, and took the brunt of the fiery assault, searing his skin and frying his back right to the bones underneath.

Zabuza paused in his battle with the two Jonin, wiping some blood out of his eyes, "What on earth was that?!"

Kakashi smirked, "That...was the power of the Naruto-Sasuke combo."

Asuma chuckled, spitting out his cigarette and smearing some blood on his cheek, "Kakashi, I've got a feeling that they may need help...can you handle this guy for now?"

Kakashi nodded, "Just hurry back, we're all running low on chakra as it is." With a quick nod, Asuma leaped off towards his Genin.

Naruto fell to his knees panting heavily, "That...really takes it out of you."

Sasuke quickly helped him to his feet, saying, "We need to separate them before they can recover...come on."

Naruto nodded, glancing at the other three and saying, "Good luck. When you've got him down, go tell Hikari to find us!"

Choji gave him a thumbs up, "Go kick his ass!"

Naruto flashed over to Haku, kicking him hard across the bridge, before flashing back to Sasuke and once again flashing them towards Haku. Shikamaru fixed his gaze back on the struggling Kaguya, and quickly placed his hands in the rat seal, "Shadow Possession Jutsu!"

Once Shikamaru's shadow grabbed the enemy, Ino kneeled down beside Shikamaru and pointed her family's signature seal at Hiroki "Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Shikamaru quickly caught the girl and placed her gently down before turning to his best friend "Get ready Choji!"

Ino, in Hiroki's body, snapped her/his eyes open and yelled, "I can't hold it for long, this guy's body is screaming in agony! I've lowered his bone density...I think! Wait till the last second to drop that shadow Shikamaru, and get in the air now Choji!"

Choji nodded, "Expansion Jutsu!" His arms and legs now comfortably secure inside his expanded body, Choji rolled forward and bounced in the air over Hiroki's body, still spinning before dropping down quickly.

Shikamaru and Ino both broke their jutsus at the last possible second, and a dazed and disoriented Hiroki had no time to react as his body was crushed violently by Choji, "Human Boulder!"

Asuma grinned as he pocketed his trench knives and grabbed the two discarded bone blades before roaring, "Get clear Choji!" Once Choji had shrunk to his original size and leaped backwards, Asuma channeled chakra into the bone blades before slamming them down into Hiroki's shoulders, "Fire Style: Burning Spear Jutsu!"

Hiroki howled in pain, as his body was effectively pinned to the bridge, the burning spear setting his body on fire with each tiny movement. Asuma smirked "That should keep you still for a good long time." He then looked up at his students, "Go swap off with Sakura and Hikari, if she's there. You guys did real good, so go take a breather and watch Tazuna!" With that, the Jonin sprinted back towards where he'd left Kakashi and Zabuza.

Needing no more encouragement, Team 10 dashed back to Sakura, Hikari and Tazuna. The girls looked up earnestly, and Hikari blurted out, "Where are Naruto and Sasuke?!"

Shikamaru leaned down against the railing, pointing towards a certain spot in the mist, "Thataway. They said to catch up, we'll watch Tazuna."

With a brisk nod, both girls sprinted away into the mist, and Ino clutched her chest _"Please be okay, Naruto..."_

Haku growled in frustration as Naruto and Sasuke kept using one another and small combo jutsus to dance around their opponent's senbon barrage, throwing shuriken of their own to keep him on edge. _"Fine, if these punks want to die so badly, then I'll oblige them!"_ Leaping into the air, Haku zipped through hand seals, before roaring, "Ice Style: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"

"Well shit," Sasuke muttered as he and Naruto became trapped inside the dome of ice mirrors.

Putting their backs together, Naruto gulped, "Sasuke my friend, we may be well and truly fucked."

Sasuke nodded unevenly, "What the hell is this anyway?"

Haku's voice came from all around them, "Your death. I'll try to make it quick and painless." As soon as the words left his mouth, senbon shot out from every mirror, and the two chakra-deprived Genin were powerless to stop them as they got hit by a large number between them, having barely deflected a third of the deadly attacks.

"Shit..." Naruto groaned, his vision blurring.

Haku shook his head "I tried the easy way...but I'm not in the mood for games. I'm sorry, but it's time to die."

Time, for Sasuke, seemed to slow as another barrrage of senbon flew towards them. Before the Uchiha even knew what had happened, Naruto threw himself on top of his best friend, taking the senbon strikes into his body at a lethal rate. "NARUTO!" Sasuke roared, cradling the body of his best friend as Naruto smiled weakly at him.

"Y-you...you n-need to survive...last of the U-Uchiha..." Naruto replied weakly, before his eyes closed.

"NARUTOOOOOOOO!" Sasuke roared, his Sharingan quivering before forming a third tomoe. He was cut short, however, by Haku, who promptly threw several senbon into his body, causing the Uchiha to slump sideways, Naruto's body falling to the bridge beside him.

Haku sighed, breaking his jutsu and landing a short distance away, looking sadly at the pair _"They had so much potential too..."_

He was brought from his musings when a familiar female voice behind him called out in a confused voice, "Haku...?"

Slowly turning around, Haku's gaze softened ever-so-slightly, "Hikari Namikaze..."

Hikari's brow crinkled, before she saw the the lifeless form of her brother and his best friend. Sakura, who had just arrived, gasped and ran straight to the downed Genin. She quickly pulled senbon from non-vital areas, trying desperately to feel for a pulse. When she felt none, however, the girl couldn't stop the tears from falling. Hikari, however, completely zoned out, a deep dark hatred burning deep with her as she looked at Haku, her eyes turning to a deep crimson, her pupils slits as her skin darkened, her teeth forming into fangs and her hair becoming jagged and wild. In a fit of pure rage, Hikari roared at Haku, who was too paralyzed to dodge the fist that connected with his face, sending him flying.

Kakashi and Asuma both flinched as they continued their fight with Zabuza, sharing a horrified look with one another. Asuma clenched his jaw, "I thought Naruto was keeping her under control!"

Kakashi frowned, then gasped, "Oh no..."

Asuma's eyes widened, "No way...!"

Zabuza, meanwhile, felt a shiver go down his spine _"This terrible aura...pure evil incarnate...no doubt about it, one of them is a jinchuriki!"_

Sakura became frozen in fear at the sight of her enraged teammate beating the life out of a virtually defenseless Haku. She was so distracted that she didn't even feel a body move beside her, until suddenly Sasuke was standing in front of Hikari, her claws digging into his left shoulder and his hand on the back of her neck, pulling her in for a tight hug and hoarsely saying into her ear, "That's enough Hikari...he's done. Naruto wouldn't want you to do this to yourself...don't let it consume you!"

Slowly but surely, Hikari reverted back to her normal self, her eyes drooping as she collapsed into Sasuke's arms. Gently, he lay her down on the ground, before standing back up and driving his fist square into Haku's face, breaking the last remaining Yuki clan member's nose and knocking him out. Groaning in pain, Sasuke knelt beside Hikari, moving her against the railing before sitting back himself, Sakura rushing over, "What...what was...?"

Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder, "Sakura...remember this. No matter what you saw her do, Hikari is Hikari. She carries a terrible burden...one no single person should have to bear. But she's still our teammate, okay?"

Sakura gulped, but nodded her head, "I understand."

Sasuke smiled weakly at her, "Then make sure she's okay, will you? I'm going to get Naruto."

Tears welled back up in the pink haired girl's eyes, and she turned her head to check on Hikari. Sasuke grit his teeth as he staggered over to the body of his best friend, placing a firm hand on his shoulder, "...you jerk. We were supposed to go together."

Not long after, the mist began to lift, revealing a battered Zabuza, arms bleeding and limp, blood soaking his torso, executioner's blade wedged in the ground a few feet from him. Kakshi and Asuma both sported heavy injuries themselves, but were clearly the victors of the match. Zabuza's eyes widened as he saw his two protege's laid out flat, his old squadmate, Jin Gachi, also tied up by the railing. "Well well well...looks like your brats really did it...though not everyone's going home, I see."

Kakashi's heart dropped as he spotted Naruto's prone form, a bloodied Sasuke crouching over him, _"Damn it..."_

"NARUTO!" Ino yelled, running over to him and skidding to a stop beside Sasuke, tears welling up in her eyes. Behind her, Shikamaru, Choji and Tazuna froze, the old bridge builder taking off his straw hat and holding it over his chest. Ino pushed a patch of bloody hair out of the boy's face, her tears flowing freely. Hikari, who had just woken up, trudged over to the others, kneeling down and hanging her head, crying silent tears and gripping Naruto's shirt tightly, "Naru...please...!"

Asuma lit a cigarette, eyes fixing firmly on Zabuza. Before he could move in to finish the fight however, the evil chuckle of Gato rang out over the bridge, "What's this, Zabuza? Topped by a bunch of sniveling brats and their babysitters?! HAH! You ninja really are worthless!"

Zabuza's blood boiled as he looked at Gato and his small army of goons, "What the hell is this Gato?! We had an agreement!"

The short man scoffed, "Oh please, like I would ever honor a deal with scum like you! This was always the plan! I hoped you'd just kill each other off...but this suits me fine too!"

Zabuza growled, "You dirty son of a bitch...no one denies me my money..."

Hikari glared at the rogue shinobi, "What the hell is your problem! These guy were willing to die for you, and all you care about is the money?!"

Zabuza scoffed, "They were just useful tools to me. Nothing more."

"That's...bullshit...and you know it...!" came a weak voice.

Zabuza whipped his head around to see Naruto steadily standing up, the other Genin in pure shock and he yanked the senbon out of his legs, making the former Kiri shinobi say, "Do you even know how to die, kid?"

Naruto let out a short laugh, "Hell no. And don't change the subject. Tools? My ass! The way they fought...the determination they had in them...no sane person would harbor two kids, both the last of their clan and in turn their bloodlines, and raise them into such powerful shinobi. You say you don't care?! You're full of shit!"

Zabuza turned back around to face Gato, barely noting Naruto hobble over to the rogue, despite the protests of his friends. Zabuza looked over at Naruto and smirked, "...you're a sharp one, punk. Tell you what...since we're clearly no longer enemies...lend me your kunai?"

Naruto nodded, tossing one which Zabuza caught in his teeth. Before he could rush the group, however, Naruto also unsheathed his sword, muttering, "No way in hell you're having all the fun, Momochi."

Zabuza sneered as he turned back to face the mercenary force, his chakra flaring into its demon form, as Naruto unleashed as much killing intent as he could muster, his Rinnegan eyes striking fear into the hearts of the bandits as he yanked the last of the senbon out of his throat, "...let's do this."

Without another word, the pair leaped into the mess of armed mercenaries, tearing apart the terrified men who couldn't believe their eyes as a man with no use of his arms and a boy with holes riddled in his body started slaying the men around them with reckless abandon, cutting a bloody swathe through the offenders before they reached Gato. In a coordinated strike, the pair divided Gato's body into three separate pieces, pausing only to unleash even more bloodlust upon the remaining mercenaries, who cowered in fear and turned to run away...only to be stopped by Inari's arrow, the rest of the village's able-bodied men behind him, as he said, "This is your only warning. Drop your weapons...and never come back to our village!"

Not wasting a second, the rest of the mercenaries dropped their weapons and leaped over the side of the incomplete bridge, swimming to shore and taking off for the mountains. The villagers cheered loudly, picking up little Inari and praising his bravery, which caused Naruto to crack a small smile before he looked at Zabuza, who had plopped down and leaned against the railing. "What will you do now?"

Zabuza gave him a pensive look, "I'm not sure. The whole point of this gig was to help pay for my next coup d'etat against the Mizukage...Yagura."

Naruto dead panned, "...the civil war's been over for about two years now, Zabuza. Mei Terumi, the one who led the revolution, is the new Mizukage."

Zabuza'a eyes widened, "But...I never heard...!"

Naruto sighed wiping the blood off of his sword before sheathing it, "Well...technically I wasn't supposed to know that. Don't tell my dad I went through his stuff. He hates it when I do that."

Zabuza laughed loudly, "You're something else kid! I guess that only leaves me with one choice, huh?"

Naruto shrugged, "Not really. You can do whatever you want. Technically we should kill you and grab the Yuki and Kaguya kekkei genkai while we can, but...I dunno. I feel like one good deed always deserves another in some regard. Maybe you'll consider extending an alliance proposition with Konoha to the Mizukage?"

The rogue shook his head, "Sounds fair to me. You're an odd one, Naruto Namikaze. Happy-go-lucky one second, cold-blooded killer the next."

Naruto scoffed, "Please, I just wanted to stick it to that bastard. Although I think I'm going to pass out now..." And with that, Naruto fell flat on his back, out like a light.

 _One Week Later_

"Don't go killing anymore innocent people, got it?" Naruto said with a smirk as he and Kakashi said a final goodbye to Zabuza, Jin, Haku and Hiroki.

"Pfft, like you could do anything about it," Zabuza smirked, motioning to Naruto's heavily bandaged body.

Kakashi eye smiled, "I wouldn't take him lightly, y'know. He's only just gotten started; so he'll surpass his father in no time!"

Hiroki smirked, "Good. Because next time we meet I want a rematch!"

Haku huffed, folding his arms, "Not before me. Our fight was getting really fun until he set off like, 20 paper bombs in my face."

Naruto chuckled, "Well...I had to get some distance somehow!"

"You fought extremely well...I am grateful you spared our lives," Jin said with a small smile.

Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Well, don't make us regret it. Anyway, we must be off, good luck."

Zabuza nodded, looking at Naruto with a pensive expression before pulling out a scroll and handing it to him, "A token of my appreciation kid. Use it well." With that, the four shinobi turned to leave, walking out into the forest and fading from view.

Kakashi spared a glance at Naruto and saying, "...are you okay?"

Naruto sighed, "If you're talking about the massacre I aided in on the bridge...then yes, I'm fine. I'm not crazy, Kakashi-sensei...I just have a very clear view of justice. Those men...they kill children, rape women, steal form the poor...I dunno, I just wanted to make a point to Zabuza I guess. He's still highly respected in Kiri, hopefully the Mizukage thinks so and will agree to an alliance with us when he proposes it."

Kakashi blinked, "You mean that you dived headfirst into a horde of deadly cutthroats just to potentially win an alliance with Kiri?"

Naruto nodded, "Of course. If I'm gonna be Hokage one day I gotta build my roots now!"

Kakashi just stared at him for a moment, before bursting into laughter, "You may look like your father, but you're definitely your own man Naruto!"

Naruto grinned, "You know it!"

Kakashi took a deep breath, recomposing himself before pointing to the scroll, "What's in that?"

Naruto shrugged, unraveling the scroll. He raised a brow upon seeing it was a summoning scroll, and bit his thumb, smearing blood across it and grinning at what came out. A pair of twin sleek silver tomahawks with black leather grips and razor sharp blades rested in Naruto's hands, and Kakashi could only smirk, "Very fitting. Light, fast weapons for the fastest Genin in Konoha."

 _Later That Day, The Now Finished Bridge_

Naruto stood next to Kakashi and Asuma as they bid the villagers farewell. Inari moved in front of Naruto and held out the kunai the blond had given him. Naruto smiled and with slight pain leaned over to place a firm hand on the boy's head, "I can't take that Inari. It belongs with a real hero. You."

Inari teared up, which in turn made the Genin also tear up a little, and he pulled the boy into a quick hug, saying, "No more tears Inari, you're a man now!"

Inari sniffed and nodded, pulling away from Naruto and saying, "You got it big brother Naruto! The next time I see you, I'll be a real man!"

Everyone laughed at that, and Naruto held out his fist, which the small boy returned with his own, "It's a deal, kid."

Tazuna smiled fondly at the pair, and looked over the completed bridge, "Now to name the blasted thing...hmm...hey everyone, how does the Great Naruto Bridge sound?!"

The roars of approval from the villagers was deafening, and Naruto blinked at him in surprise, "Tazuna...I can't..."

The old man held out a hand, "Nonsense. You won't accept a reward for saving us from not only Gato and his goons, but those shinobi as well, so this is my compromise."

Hikari grinned at her brother _"He looks so happy!"_

Indeed, Naruto's face had broken into a massive grin, and he extended his hand to Tazuna, which the old man shook eagerly. After a few more goodbyes, the Konoha group turned to leave, but not before Naruto and taken out a small green book and handed it to the boy. As they shinobi vanished into the high noon sun, Inari glanced down a the book and grinned at the title: The Tales of an Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.

On the inside of the front cover, there was a small message from Naruto that increased Inari's grin even more: _Inari, true heroes admit their faults, understand their shortcomings, but never, ever give up! Your big brother, Naruto Namikaze._

 _The Road Back To Konoha_

"This is freaking humiliating," Naruto muttered as Kakashi carried the blond on his back.

Hikari snickered, "Maybe next time you'll think twice before blowing yourself up."

Sasuke shook his head as they leapt through the trees to increase their pace, "Seriously, what were you thinking? That by popping off 20 explosive tags you'd somehow manage to come up with a winning strategy?"

Naruto huffed "Well sorry for trying! Seemed like a good idea at the time!"

Ino shook her head, "Famous last words, Naruto."

Shikamaru nodded, "Still though, you seriously kicked ass, man."

Asuma smirked, lighting a cigarette, "I think Zabuza took a shine to you after you two slaughtered those hired grunts."

Sakura shivered, "Yeah...that was scary. You were like a man possessed."

Kakashi laughed, "All for the good of Konoha, right Naruto?"

Naruto grinned, "Hell yeah!"

 _Hokage's Office, After Mission Debreif_

Minato sighed as he looked at his son, "I thought I warned you not to go overboard, Naruto."

The blond scoffed, "Please dad, I wouldn't have gone all out unless I thought I was gonna die."

Kakashi sweat dropped, "Still...your performance on the bridge concerns me."

Minato nodded, "Such blood lust...it's not healthy."

A tic mark formed on Naruto's forehead, "I'm not insane, guys. I'm telling you; Zabuza's gonna go back to Kiri now that the civil war's over and join up again. And since he clearly thinks I'm his kind of shinobi, pretty sure he'll offer my suggestion to the new Mizukage. And also, since Kiri's still recovering and will need allies, there's no real reason Mei Terumi wouldn't at least offer some sort of olive branch."

Minato chuckled, "Of course. Just like you to think three steps ahead, Naruto."

Kakashi shook his head, "Definitely your son, sensei."

"Indeed! However, I think you'd better get home Naruto. You're going to have to face your mother eventually," Minato said with a smile.

Naruto, however, began to shake uncontrollably, pure terror reflected in his eyes, as he said weakly, "Oops."

 **A/N: Greetings all! I know; what the hell am I doing posting a NARUTO story?! The truth is...the inspiration and motivation to write my Digimon stories has left me. That's not to say I have given up though! Still, the (fuck awful) ending to Naruto lit a fire under my ass and I decided to completely wreck it in my AU, starting from the ground up and building to an epic war and final battle between Naruto and someone you'd never suspect. I understand if this story is not for your liking, or if you feel like I have no idea what I'm talking about with my story and the lore...but you are wrong. I have been studying for months, researching all about the Rinnegan and other things, and can confidently say that all of it makes sense, but only time will tell, I'm not going to share all the details yet. Still, I hope we can embark on this journey together, as it will be a long, glorious one. So with that in mind, please leave a review! Flamers will be denied, but I welcome constructive criticism and positive encouragement! 'Till next time, this is Silver Tongue Joe, signing off!**


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